Recipe Box - April 2021

  Paris anyone? Join us on a virtual trip to France to try these delectable roasted veggie crepes and see firsthand why we love French food so much! First, we’ll roast a huge tray of assorted vegetables (tomatoes, carrots, zucchini, eggplant, red bell peppers, mushrooms, onions, shallots, and garlic) tossed in olive oil with Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Then we’ll chop it all up, mix it with grated Gruyere cheese and roll it into a freshly cooked crepe. I like to call it “ratatouille in a wrap”. and roll it into a freshly cooked crepe. I like to call it “ratatouille in a wrap”.  

 These savory biscuits are super delicious and so easy to make! What I love about them is that they call for olive oil instead of butter and nonfat plain yogurt to bind them together. Not to mention, they are full of olives bits and grated sharp cheddar, two of our favorite foods. 

 Who doesn’t love a good bowl? Here’s a festive Mediterranean version chock full of some of our favorite foods … farro, sun-dried tomatoes, Kalamata olives, shallots, basil, artichoke hearts, garbanzo beans, feta cheese and pine nuts tossed together in a lemon-red wine vinaigrette! Happy food!🥰

What’s that saying? An apple a day ... 🍎

Caramelized apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, cardamom and butter fold together in these delicious breakfast scones. Topped off with caramelized apple icing, these are a welcome wake-up call and a fun way to start your day!

Turkish meatballs made with turkey, beef, lamb, or bison and spiced with cumin and oregano. Serve it with a fresh tomato-red pepper sauce and crumbled feta! 

 There is something so great about the fresh taste of celery, but usually it is relegated to a bit player in another dish, like an ingredient in soup or salad or even as a minor character in spicy chicken wings. It never dawned on me to make it the focal point of a dinner salad until my good friend Mouna served it to us one night! From that point on, we were hooked, and we’ve enhanced the salad by adding blue cheese and toasted pecans and also incorporating some of the celery leaves, which are not only beautiful, but add a flavor all of their own! They are slightly more bitter, but so fresh tasting and they make the salad a bit more complex in nature.  

 This fancy mac 'n cheese, made with shallots, white wine, creamy and nutty Gruyere cheese and chunks of lobster meat is pure indulgence in comfort food. 

   Tomato soup and grilled cheese are a match made in heaven. Besides it’s a perfect starter for a romantic Valentine’s dinner! A medley of tomatoes, basil, onions and bell pepper, simmered with broth and a little cream and then topped with a heaping spoonful of finely grated parmesan come together to crest this toast dish for those wild and woolly wintery nights. 

   In our house, olives are king and we eat a lot of them … often straight out of the jar, but we especially love them stuffed with blue cheese, rolled in bread crumbs and lightly fried in olive oil! As the breadcrumb crust browns, the olives heat up and the blue cheese melts, making them absolutely irresistible! If you enjoy olives, as much as we do, you just might need to double this recipe! They also happen to be a perfect munchie for Super Bowl parties! 

   Hummus is such a great all-around food!   We blend sautéed shallots blended into the hummus and serve crispy, roasted shallots on top as a garnish. You can even use the roasted shallots as a dipper for the hummus.  It’s perfect for dipping pita wedges and it’s delicious served with veggies. It makes a fantastic spread for wraps and it’s yummy just by the spoonful. No wonder it’s a staple of the Mediterranean diet! We always serve it as a dipper for our Turkish meatballs (that recipe is coming soon). 

 These crostini are fantastic served as an appetizer, and they also make a fancy cheesy bread to go with your next pasta dish. We love them because not only are they super easy to make, but they seem like a whole lot of work went into them. We love Boursin cheese precisely for this reason. It is the perfect backdrop for so many creative recipes. In this case, with caramelized shallots and cherry tomatoes, voila, you’ve got a quick and tasty snack for your next gathering!

Our friend Tyler served these tasty baked jalapeño poppers for hors d’oeuvres one night and we thoroughly enjoyed them! The novelty of adding chorizo to the cheese filling and wrapping them in bacon made them pretty darn irresistible! When we made them, we added some grated sharp cheddar cheese and a sprinkling of Tajin seasoning and we loved that addition, too! 

 We just can't get enough of this amazingrainbow Swiss chard! Not only is it spectacularly beautiful with the colors of a desert sunset, but it also tastes delicious! Sometimes we can’t decide whether to use it as a floral arrangement or eat it! We always opt for eating because it’s so delicious sauteed with just a touch of garlic, some shallots and a little lemon pepper … but not before we take a dozen photos of it! It’s especially beautiful out in the sunlight, where the colors practically glow, they are so vibrant. 

 Homemade granola is a super special breakfast treat, sure to kickstart your day in a positive, happy direction!  Our recipe is called "Nutty Granola" for a really good reason: it's chock-full of nuts!  We toss in pecans, walnuts, almonds, and pistachios plus sesame and pumpkin seeds, but you can swap those out for any nuts and seeds you like best! We sweeten it with a little bit of brown sugar and agave syrup, which also helps to make it nice and crunchy! Spiced with cinnamon and cardamom, this is not only fun to make, but fun to eat and makes a great gift to bring to friends and family!

We love chocolate cake and this is one of our very favorites! This decadent cake has become our "go-to" chocolate cake for any occasion! It's super easy to make, calls for no eggs, and can be dressed up or down. You can make a three-layer cake or 24 cupcakes with this same recipe. Sometimes we make it with a fun twist and other times we leave it simply and divinely chocolate! 

 The key to this "pitcher perfect" margaritas is no mix whatsoever but just fresh lime juice, light blue agave syrup, good quality tequila, Cointreau, pink salt, and a lot of ice cubes! Try to sip slowly!

 From the garden, a rainbow of veggies: tomatillos, jicama, cilantro, tomatoes, poblano peppers, red bell peppers and lettuce. From the pantry: kidney beans + tortilla chips + taco seasoning. From the fridge: grated cheese + taco-seasoned ground turkey. Toss it all in a zesty and tangy lime-salsa vinaigrette and you’ve got a healthy and robust dinner to satisfy even the hungriest of appetites!  

Lemons & Olives - a perfect match made under the sun! Chicken marinated with Meyer lemons, garlic, oregano and olive oil, and baked with shallots, artichoke hearts, capers, thyme, parsley and green olives. It is hard to describe how delicious this is! You feel like you’re eating your way through an open-air Mediterranean market. Serve it with rice, roasted potatoes or hummus.  

We are huge fans of oatmeal cookies and these are my absolute favorite! They are full of raisins, nuts and yummy spices – cinnamon, allspice, and cardamom … the best spice on the planet! 

We are always game for a salad for dinner and this Chinese Chicken Salad using April's Basting Chicken is perfectly delicious. You can use cabbage, or romaine, or whatever green you like, but be sure to add some cilantro leaves and a bunch of crunchy things, like toasted almonds, peanuts, or cashews, (or all three), toasted top ramen noodles, sesame seeds, celery, radishes, and chow mein noodles.  the wonton strips in this salad, too! Garnish with a few more nut sprinkles, a sprig of cilantro.

This awesome roasted chicken recipe is made up of six ingredients: 

🐓Chicken

🏺Soy Sauce

🍯 Honey

🍏 Cider Vinegar

🎋Fresh ginger

 Fan-favorite flavor profile: (try to say that 10 times!) ... toasted pecans and pure maple syrup! Mix it all up in a beautiful scone, glaze with maple syrup icing and you have a breakfast hit! We’ve been known to eat them for dessert, too! Toasting nuts not only makes them crunchier and enhances the flavor, but the aroma is heavenly! Always toast the nuts!!!

 This is a fun twist on the traditional sweet and tangy coleslaw, using sesame oil and soy sauce stirred into your favorite blue cheese dressing. We love yogurt-blue cheese instead of the more typical mayonnaise-based dressing, but pick your favorite homemade or packaged blue cheese and add a dash of rice vinegar, soy sauce, and sesame oil for an Asian flair. Not only is this slaw colorful, but it's delicious and pairs so well with tacos, burgers, spicy wings, teriyaki, or barbecue. Toasted slivered almonds and toasted sesame seeds add the perfect crunchy accents. We like to mix the red and green cabbage, but you can use just one or the other, along with the carrots, if you prefer!

 One night after my daughter's performance in Wicked the Musical, we went to Yard House on Waikiki, where the Chicken Tortilla Soup was beckoning to us! We so enjoyed this soup made with plenty of peppers, tomatoes, cilantro, chicken & warm spices that we returned the next night for seconds! Although the restaurant would not give out the exact recipe, they offered up a few key ingredients, and we created one that is pretty darn close! Soooooo yummy! 

 On cold wintry nights, there is almost nothing that satisfies like a good hearty soup! We recently made a super-delicious spicy black bean and grilled veggie soup that was posted on The Rogue Brussel Sprout food blog, and decided to make a yummy corn focaccia bread to go along with it. We also added fresh barbecued corn to our bread with thinly sliced red onions on top and oh my gosh, it was a perfect marriage to this cozy, yummy soup. Comfort food for chilly winter nights, for sure! 

  Delicata squash is delicious no matter how you slice it, and it’s especially good roasted with brown butter and a tiny sprinkling of brown sugar. You can eat the entire thing, skin and all and it’s delicious what paired with dried cranberries, blue cheese and toasted pecans on a bed of arugula. Drizzle with your best olive oil and red wine vinegar over the entire salad and you have a great head start on dinner.

 Don’t eat this and try to talk at the same time! This mud pie with homemade chocolate fudge filling and java chip ice cream and Oreo cookie crust will transport you from the table to nirvana in seconds! Simply savor until every last bite is gone, then resume conversation. Or, go back for seconds! It's an edible note on top to remember where each flavor begins and ends! Merry Christmas!  

  The vanilla bean may be the most exquisite part of this drink made with frothy steamed milk, hot apple cider, amaretto (or spiced rum)  and cinnamon stick, but the combination is indescribably delicious! And, it’s so light for an after-dinner drink on Christmas night … or any other wintery night! The thinly sliced apple garnish is beautiful, but also fun to munch on while you enjoy your cocktail! But, did we mention how much we LOVE that vanilla bean! 

   The enticing aroma of cinnamon-raisin Enlish muffins toasting in the oven will have you running to the breakfast table! I was looking for fun and unusual breakfast breads when I stumbled upon this great recipe for English muffins on Valerie’s Kitchen cooking blog. It sounded like such a fun thing to do and so I went straight to it! They were delicious and the only thing I could think of to improve the recipe was to add raisins and cinnamon to her plain English muffins for a different kind of breakfast treat. The result was amazing and I think that you could probably add dried blueberries, cranberries, or whatever dried fruit you like to create your own version. You won’t want to live another day without these English muffins once you’ve tasted them!

   We love the spectacular color and the fresh taste of pink grapefruit and when complemented with perfectly ripe avocado, it's salad perfection! And, since pomegranate seeds are just so charismatic, we decided to add a little extra flavor along with color and texture by tossing in fresh pomegranate seeds and radicchio. Drizzle a good champagne vinaigrette over the top and it doesn't get much better! Besides, for all you Wicked lovers out there, you already know that "pink goes good with green"!

  Cauliflower is delicious cooked in so manyways, (roasted with Parmesan, stuffed with cheesy-onion filling, or baked with buffalo wing sauce) but one of our favorites is super simple: mashed with some butter, white pepper, and Boursin Shallot & Chive Cheese! We’ve been on a bit of a Boursin kick lately and all of the cheeses they make are delicious! By the way, I just discovered that they now make a dairy-free version of the original Garlic & Fine Herbs for any of you on a dairy-free diet!

 Holiday Cookie Connection Giveaway Winner and Cookies!

Hooray! We have a winner from our First Annual Holiday Cookie Connection Giveaway drawing! Drum roll … Van My’s dream cookies had white chocolate, pistachios, and cranberries, so we decided to make these yummy brownies with all of those goodies plus a white chocolate frosting! 

 Oatmeal crust with the gooey brown sugar-date topping can satisfy ay sweet tooth! Plus we have a "no wheat no dairy" option for these oat-date bars. And, they are great for breakfast too. 

   This salad features tomatoes and raw green beans, with a collection of goodies on top including Kalamata olives, roasted shallots and feta cubes all dressed in a simple vinaigrette. It is super delicious and beautiful for Christmas dinner with all of the red and green! 

    Manischewitz wine, black bean garlic sauce and pomegranate molasses are the secret ingredients that make these “fall off the bone” short ribs so tender and delicious! Created by Noah Jacobs of Jacob & Sons, this is by far our favorite short rib recipe! And, you won’t be toiling over the stove for hours and hours. This recipe is really easy to prepare and then, you just let them braise in the oven for three hours or so and your guests will truly believe you’ve been cooking all day!

  Usually made with potatoes, we have taken a departure from the regular latke recipe and ours have no potatoes! Instead, garlic, onions, lots of finely sliced leeks, and bread crumbs crisp up to make these savory pancakes to serve as a side dish or all alone. Top them with a dollop of sour cream, or even better crème fràiche and a sprinkling of finely snipped chives. We like to grate Parmesan on them sometimes, too.

 Rugelach has always reminded me of the delectable cinnamon roll-ups my mom used to make with leftover pie dough, but rugelach is usually made with cream cheese pastry. These delightful tasty treats, originating in the Jewish communities of Poland, can be made with any number of different spice, nut, or fruit fillings, but cinnamon or chocolate are definitely our favorites. They make perfect Chanukah treats and Santa will love them too!

 No holiday season is complete without cookie cutter cookies. These shimmery snowflake cookies made with butter, powdered sugar, cinnamon and vanilla create delicious, crispy morsels you won’t want to live without! Cinnamon adds a twinkly holiday twist to traditional shortbread and it smells divine baking in the oven. You can also punch a little hole in the top of the cookie before baking so you can hang them on your tree as ornaments.

 Crispy, melt-in-your-mouth cookies, these have been a family favorite ever since my husband's mom began making them for the family! This year we decided to add a little holiday flair to her traditional recipe by dipping them in chocolate and sprinkling them with roasted pistachios. 

D-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s! 

 These peanut butter cookies with maplesyrup and Reese’s cups might just literally be to die for! Especially if you love Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups or just love dipping a spoonful of peanut butter into a bowl of chocolate chips! Sooooo good! These chunky peanut butter cookies combine maple syrup, Reese’s Mini Peanut Butter Cups, dark chocolate chips and a dash of sea salt for one of the best cookies you may ever eat!

  This quintessential Christmas Snowball holiday cookie, made with finely ground toasted pecans, butter, flour, just a bit of sugar, plus a splash of bourbon, are not super sweet until … you roll them twice in powdered sugar! And, this is where they get their name because they really do look like little snowballs by the time you’ve finished bathing them in powdered sugar!  

   Having a solid schnitzel recipe is a great idea, because it’s super easy to make for busy evenings! Turkey, chicken or veal cutlets, dipped in egg and matzo or bread crumbs and sautéed until crispy is always a fan favorite. Lately, we’ve been dipping the cutlets in seasoned almond flour and flaxseed meal and it’s a whole new ball game! 

  This is a fun and festive salad year round with so many vibrant colors! You can usually find shishito peppers in the market any time of year, and when grilled or roasted with a little bit of olive oil and sea salt, they are delicious alone or with just about anything else. We had them at Aviary Wine & Kitchen, an Austin, Texas eatery, as the focal point of a salad with peaches and it was an awesome dish! We like to pair them with grilled seasonal fruit, cherry tomatoes, avocado, feta cheese, roasted pistachios and a sesame-teriyaki dressing for a flavor explosion!

  Brown butter, whipped cream, toffee and dark chocolate combine for a delicious twist on ordinary yellow cake. The nutty aroma and rich flavor of brown butter will take your cake to a whole new level! 

 This zesty cheese dip, spiked with fresh diced green chilies and a hint of lime, is especially flavorful and fun to serve for your next gathering. It also makes a great spread on tortillas for a wrap for a picnic lunch! We use cream cheese, goat cheese, along with sharp white cheddar for a little punch, and poblano, Anaheim, and jalapeño peppers for a little pop. You can serve it cold or hot, but we do love it hot and bubbly on tortilla chips!

 This citrusy, tangy basting sauce will put a twist on your holiday turkey this year! We love turkey any way it’s cooked, but this barbecued turkey with cilantro-lime basting sauce is incredibly delicious! It comes out tender and moist every time and the flavor is super- fresh and tangy thanks to the lime juice, Dijon mustard and all of the fresh herbs in the basting sauce.

 You can literally make your cranberry sauce with so many variations, like with oranges and orange juice, or Grand Marnier. Or try adding nuts and dried cranberries, mangoes, or apricots for a more chutney-like version. Even a cinnamon-cranberry port sauce is great! But, to go with our Lime-Basted BBQ Turkey, we love this one made with brown sugar, diced jalapeños, and freshly-squeezed lime juice. It’s such a fun diversion from traditional cranberry sauce and it’s so easy to make, you’ll wonder why in the world you ever bought canned cranberry sauce! 

 I have to say, my husband makes the best turkey gravy I’ve ever tasted. It’s even better than my mom’s, his mom’s and all of our grandmothers’ combined! And they were all great cooks. What’s his secret? He does all of the usual stuff like incorporating the roasting juices, browning the pan drippings and deglazing the pan to get every last yummy, browned bit of scraps to flavor the gravy. He also removes as much fat as possible from the roasting juices. Then there’s the garlic and fresh herbs. But, the key to his gravy is the addition of full-bodied red wine and a couple tablespoons of the basting sauce. You’re gonna love it! 

 Sweet potatoes are one of those “love or hate” vegetables,  but Courtney and I really love them and we like coming up with new ideas for how to prepare them. This is our latest creation that I actually dreamed about one night! When I woke up in the morning,  I went straight to my notes so I wouldn’t forget the recipe!  Why I’d be dreaming about sweet potatoes with brown butter and crème fraiche, I have no idea, but if anyone out there can help me figure it out … I’d be much obliged! I hope you love these so much, you’ll be dreaming about them too!

Pumpkin chiffon pie is perfectly love-able with its light and fluffy mousse-like creaminess. and a host of aromatic spices. Whipped cream and beaten egg whites folded into the pumpkin custard make all the difference. in fact it’s so light, you can easily eat more than you should!! This one  has a gluten-free crust, which is as delicious as can be! We used our favorite oil-based heirloom crust (a bit like a shortbread crust) and made it gluten-free using a combination of paleo gluten-free baking flour and almond flour. The result is a perfectly crisp crust that crumbles into the pumpkin filling with every bite! 

These decadent sweet rolls are irresistible, with crystals of brown sugar and spice, currants and pecans with each yummy, gooey, delicious bite. We have made these pull-apart sweet rolls for Thanksgiving morning every year that I can remember and they’re such a special treat that we find ourselves counting down to the holidays! They’re so tasty you’ll wish every day was a holiday.  

 This is our family’s absolute favorite pasta! Linguini or capellini tossed with garlic and herb infused olive oil and topped with the heavenly flavors of the Mediterranean ... sun-dried tomatoes, Kalamata olives, basil, pine nuts, fresh tomatoes, and feta cheese.  We occasionally toss in chopped marinated artichoke hearts or arugula too. The key to this dish is to heat the olive oil with fresh garlic and herbs early in the day, so the flavors have plenty of time to infuse.

 The exceptional flavor combination of blue cheese, caramelized red onions and toasted walnuts is worthy of a few hours spent in the kitchen making this delicious tart. It really could stand on its own for a meal, but it makes a fantastic appetizer for a dinnedr party, or a great side for soup night! 

  Sloppy Joes are one of my favorite quick meals. They are like a burger with the meat and all the fixings, rolled into one saucy savory spread. And they are super easy to make. You sauté the meat (I like to use ground turkey) along with mustard, ketchup, caramelized onions and a little soy sauce for good measure. 

 These are magical! You won't have to be convinced to eat your veggies once you've tasted these delicious morsels! Crispy Brussels sprouts are sautéed with shallots and toasted walnuts and finished off in a tangy/salty/sweet sauce for a flavor sensation!

 This recipe is so easy to make, but no one will ever know, because it tastes like you’ve been toiling for hours! They make a great passing hors d'oeuvres or an excellent side dish to steak or chicken. Or, if you are so inclined, make enough to serve as a main dish. That’s exactly what I did a few weeks ago!

 There is nothing better than a simple vinaigrette to make your salad pop! It’s super easy to make and you get to control just how tart or zesty you want it to be! There are literally millions of combinations you could use to come up with the perfect dressing for any given salad, but this one is simple and light and uses white balsamic which yields the perfect sweet-tart flavor! 

  We LOVE chicken wings at our house, but we bake ours in the oven in our own secret sauce! Mixing just about everything but the kitchen sink - salsa, Louisiana hot sauce, Tabasco, soy sauce, brown sugar and even some Worcestershire, this has been a fan favorite for years. And, of course we dip them in our homemade yogurt blue cheese dressing! Even if it is a bit of an odd football season, your family, friends and teammates will love these tidbits!

  It’s really tough to beat a good, homemade mushroom soup and this one is especially no exception. Porcini mushrooms enhance the flavor of the soup and by roasting both the porcini and the cremini before making your soup, you’ll have a distinctly rich mushroom flavor! 

This harvest bread is so satisfyingly delicious because it's chock full of goodies including walnuts, pecans, pumpkin seeds, and raisins! Made with both squash and pumpkin puree, it shouts "fall" but is a great year-round breakfast treat. If you happen to be entertaining family over the holidays, double the recipe for two loaves, or six mini loaves, which are fantastic for holiday gift-giving!   

 This time of year, as the nights get cooler, it’s really comforting to make soup! Squash soup, mushroom soup, pumpkin soup, turkey soup, or even chili. I actually love cabbage soup, too. This recipe is made from roasted acorn squash along with shallots, onions, garlic, thyme, and poultry seasoning, which always reminds me of fall cooking, roasting turkey, and family holidays.      

 Have leftover chicken? If so, this recipe makes a delicious quick, and easy dinner, or the perfect after school snack for hungry school kids! I started making these for my kids when they were in grade school and they always loved them! What I just started doing, is adding chopped pineapple to the mix for a Hawaiian version … like a mini BBQ chicken Hawaiian pizza. It’s a super simple dish, especially if you have barbecue sauce handy.

 Even if you don’t have a gluten allergy or intolerance, this focaccia bread is well-worth your while! We have no gluten issues in our familly, but we absolutely love this bread.  

 It'snot difficult to make, and you can add your own touches by using different cheese or change up the herbs. 

But anyway you slice it, it’s superb!

  We love blue cheese dressing and all the great things you eat with it, like spicy chicken wings, carrot sticks, wedge salads, and artichokes! This dressing is super simple to make …  you can make it in less than two minutes! And, it stores well in the refrigerator for a week or so. Plus … it is low-cal compared to mayo-based blue cheese dressing, but still has all the flavor you could ever want! We also use this dressing in our blue cheese coleslaw and potato salad, too! Look for our baked spicy chicken wings soon...   

 This is a super fun project to make with the kids and you can either take the simpler route of buying caramels and melting them down, or making your own caramel from scratch! I opted for both and really found that the homemade caramel was superior, but  a lot more work. Sally’s Baking Addiction has a great recipe for homemade caramel. Then, all you do is melt dark chocolate and using a pastry bag with a #3 or #4 tip start creating spider webs!

 I've never in my life see such beautiful salads as that Kiere Schroeder creates, well designs, actually for here guests at Sulphur Creek Ranch in Idaho! She doesn't have a particular dressing because these salads speak for themselves, but when pressed, she did have a couple of suggestions: artichoke ranch dressing and ginger vinaigrette. I think her salads are magical with simple extra-virgin olive oil and red wine or balsamic vinegar! But, you can try the Artichoke Pesto Ranch dressing recipe below!  

 Figs are a regally beautiful fruit in all of their purple and green splendor, and they comport themselves so well as an appetizer or the perfect complement to grilled or roasted lamb, pork or chicken. Add salty feta and earthy balsamic and you’ll wish you’d bought more figs!   

  Apples caramelized in brown sugar adorn this delicious autumn cake, made with plenty of spice, walnuts and fresh apples. It’s the perfect fall dessert, but is also delicious for breakfast whenever you might have a craving for spic,ed apple-nut bread. 

  If eaten alone, a full tube of wasabi plus Chinese hot mustard might zap your tastebuds, and yet all that is left is the delicious flavor once you grill this chicken! Sesame oil, ginger and soy sauce round out the flavor profiles! This dish is super-easy to make, so it’s great for those busy weeknights.

 We love carrot cake! In fact, I haven’t ever met a carrot cake I didn’t love! But, this one is the best yet. Made with buttermilk, it is both light and moist, and the fluffy cream cheese frosting is blissful! 

  Soft, creamy polenta made with blue cheese crumbles, freshly grated parmesan and a splash of hot sauce paired with fried eggs and chicken habanero sausage equals a spicy, hearty breakfast. We use Aidells habanero, smoked chicken and pepper jack sausage. It’s really yummy and not nearly as hot as the name indicates!  

When it comes to a tasty and healthy quick meal, there's almost nothing better than toast with perfectly ripe avocado, fresh tomatoes, cilantro, and a splash of lime juice All you need is a freshly brewed cup of java and breakfast is served!    

 Caramelized onions and apples, roasted chicken and sharp cheddar rolled into beautifully thin crepes makes an outstanding fall meal. I first made it years ago for a teacher appreciation luncheon for the Placer Hills School teachers where all of my kids were enrolled! Add this one to your savory apple recipes!  

 This mocha cheesecake is absolutely delicious! Made with real coffee, melted dark chocolate, plain non-fat yogurt and Kahlua, along with a chocolate cookie crust, it will be the hit of your next party! (We like to think the non-fat plain yogurt helps in the fat and calorie department!) Hoping anyway ... 

 Apples are especially wonderful this time of year with so many different varieties in the markets. When baked with raisins, nuts and spices, they make an excellent fall dessert or breakfast! But, then again, when isn’t a fruit dessert great for breakfast? We like to caramelize the nuts and raisins in a little brown butter for a toasty seasonal flavor.

 Here's a fun and unusual twist on the regular old cheese and cracker platter!  Roasted shallots and jalapeno team up in these savory custards. Garnish with diced tomatoes, pine nuts and basil and serve with crackers or Belgian endive.

 Courtsie is really missing the Green Machine on Broadway, so we decided to do all things green in the kitchen one day ... pesto, zucchini pancakes and green shakshuka! This pesto is made with toasted pine nuts and Pecorino Romano, a salty sheep's milk. If you've seen Wicked, you will definitely understand why we call it Pink Goes Good with Green! Besides, we used pink Himalayan salt with our beautiful green basil!

 This summer’s huckleberry crop was extra-fruitful with plenty of berries for making jam, pies, and huckleberry frozen yogurt. It takes time and patience, but berry picking is a delightful way to commune with nature, and while away the hours under the summer skies 

A zesty trio of lemons, limes and oranges partner with pepitas, cilantro, chipotle and cumin to deliver a fabulously tangy and smoky flavor.  

 We love frozen yogurt, and if you've ever tried the Euro tart yogurt gelato in Italy, you will love this recipe!

 These crispy mandelbrot cookies melt in your mouth. Usually twice baked, we bake them thrice to arrive at just the perfect crunch! Made with chocolate chips, pecans and a sprinkling of cinnamon sugar, these biscotti are delicious for dessert or with your morning coffee!

 Try your next caprese salad tucked neatly into the shell of a homegrown tomato! Scoop out the tomato meat, mix with mozzarella pearls, crumbled blue cheese and basil chiffonade. Drizzle with your favorite vinaigrette!

 Marinated artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes and feta cheese tumble together in this delicious quesadilla. It’s also excellent made as a grilled sandwich on sliced three-cheese artisan bread! We use store-bought artichoke hearts, but if you’re ambitious, you could try marinating your own!

 Put a spicy twist on your next Caesar salad with this “south of the border”  dressing! It has all the ingredients of a regular Caesar plus lime,  cilantro, hot sauce and salsa. This dressing is also fantastic on taco salad! 

 This sun-kissed cake truly tastes like fresh-squeezed orange juice! That’s because it’s actually made with juice from fresh oranges. With orange curd filling and buttercream frosting it’s a hearty dessert, but tastes so light!  

  Corn is always on my list of favorite foods and these chicken-tomatillo tamales rank right up there near the top! The citrus overtones of cilantro and tomatillos perfectly complement the corn and chicken. Not an easy project, but making homemade tamales is really satisfying!

 Elk is a healthy alternative to beef and this elk linguica is the perfect filling for these taquitos! Plenty of garlic and paprika are signature flavors of these Portuguese sausages that marry well with the crispy tortilla shell.

 Tantalizing Mediterranean flavors  ... feta, kalamata olives, sun-dried tomatoes, and shallots, roll into these scrumptious eggplant roulades. Toasted pine nuts and balsamic glaze add the perfect accent!

 We love to wander off into the wilderness for adventure, and whitewater rafting is one of those fun activities we are crazy enough to do. Our longtime family friend Jeff Krizman and his girlfriend, Molly Shannon, joined us on our last trip, and they brought these tasty Chinese chicken salad wraps for one of the river lunches. We are hooked! Great for at home, on the road, or on the river!

 Peaches are glorious right now and this is a delicious way to eat them - under the cover of a nut and oat crisp topping. We have a no dairy - no wheat version too!

  It’s huckleberry season in Idaho! These fun pancakes combine wild huckleberries with bursts of goat cheese for an unusually flavorful and beautiful breakfast treat. 

 If you're like me and you think the best part of lasagna is the filling, you'll love this little gem! I could literally inhale this concoction. Ricotta baked with roasted mushrooms and garden fresh tomatoes makes for an easy and delicious side dish. 

  Zucchini, zucchini, zucchini … what shall I make of thee? Pancakes, of course! This is one of my favorite zucchini recipes ever which comes from my grandmother who would be 117 this year. We’ve been enjoying it for many, many years and now you can too!

   A trio of lemon, lime, and orange juice lends a citrusy freshness to this marinade. Add pepitas, chipotle, cumin and cilantro for a tangy and smoky finish. We made this with both turkey and pork tenderloins and both are delish!

 Gazpacho hails from the Andalusia region of Spain and in my opinion, is the pinnacle of summer vegetable dishes! This cold soup is blended from the freshest pickings of your veggie garden, along with spices, lime and perfectly ripe avocado. Piquant and refreshing, it’s best served on warm summer evenings for a perfect al fresco meal.  

  I love chicken! No matter how it’s prepared it’s my go-to meal. But, whether or not you are a crazy “pollo” fan like me, you will love having this dish in your recipe rotation! A spicy rub of cayenne pepper, paprika, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper sets the tone while flame grilling provides the backdrop to devil’s style chicken! But don’t worry, it’s definitely not too hot to savor every last bite. 

 Once you’ve made your own flour tortillas at home, you will never go back! Literally four ingredients make these fabulously delicious tortillas: flour, salt, water and olive oil. They are the best for tacos!

Coconut Shrimp, sesame-crusted Ahi and beautiful tropical fruits create this colorful and flavorful kebab! Top it off with sweet Thai chili vinaigrette!

You can’t beat this tropical fruit salsa as a topping for grilled fish or an accompaniment to fish and shrimp tacos. Mango is the main player, but papaya, avocado, cilantro, red onion and lime juice round out the flavors and textures.  

 Straight from the veggie garden to the salad bowl, Panzanella is the quintessential summer salad. Juicy homegrown tomatoes, cukes, bell pepper and basil soak up chunks of crusty Italian bread for one of most delightful dishes of the season.

 My daughter and I discovered this awesome refreshment at a food truck in Austin, Texas when we stopped to quench our thirst in the middle of a long and hot bicycle ride. Frozen cucumber blended with a dash of ginger and a heaping splash of lemon juice combine for this heavenly concoction!

  Don’t eat this and try to talk at the same time! This mud pie with homemade chocolate fudge filling and coffee ice cream will transport you from the table to nirvana in seconds! Simply savor until every last bite is gone, then resume conversation. Or, go back for seconds!

 With a flick of the potato peeler you can make beautiful, curly zucchini ribbons. Once summer veggie gardens take off, it seems there is an unlimited supply of zucchini and everyone needs new ideas on how to use it up! Here’s one for you! 

    Heat up the grill for this mouthwatering rack of lamb. Marinated in fresh herbs, garlic, ginger, and soy sauce, this dish is fancy enough for guests, but cozy enough to clean up the bones!

 Angel food cake pairs perfectly with fruit, and since summer berry season is here, this is a perfectly light, angelic dessert to serve on warm evenings! Pick whatever berries happen to be your favorite and nestle them into this white chocolate mousse between layers of cake. 

  A scoop of fresh ricotta and some crumbled feta combine for a rich and tangy foil to these mini sweet peppers. Roast until the cheese is beginning to brown for a perfect side dish to any meat!

Shakshuka is a savory dish of eggs poached in simmering tomato sauce made with the warm spices of North Africa and the Middle East. This green version combines sauteed kale, arugula, diced jalapeno and goat cheese.

 These crispy little shortbread nuggets are "melt in your mouth" divine and can be made with or without coconut for the perfect bite-sized morsel to satisfy any sweet tooth!

 Watermelon adds the dazzle to this refreshing summer time salad. The beautiful ruby color brightens the plate and its sweet flavor is the perfect foil to the salty feta crumbles. 

 Good morning sleepy heads!

There is nothing like a strong cup of coffee and a sweet breakfast treat to clear one’s mind of the annoying alarm clock! This coffee cake made with nonfat plain yogurt instead of sour cream, extra nuts, and cardamom spice, will make you happy you woke up!

 Take this “deli of a salad” to your next picnic! Chock-full of cheese, salami, garbanzo beans and crunchy veggies, this hearty salad is a meal by itself! Dress it up in your favorite Italian dressing and you are good to go. When I don’t have time to make my own, I fall back on Olive Garden’s yummy Italian dressing. It’s perfect on this salad! 

This is one of our family's favorite dips. We've been making it for decades and it never, ever gets old!  The first time we had it, we nearly missed it, because we were running late for dinner at our friends' house, and they did not wait to dive in!

    Street corn without the mayo! Grilled corn carved off the cob, roasted poblano peppers, and caramelized onions rally together to create this flavorful side dish. Top with your favorite grated cheese and a splash of lime to make your own street corn! 

Maple, brown sugar and toasted pecans team up with fresh salmon for this exquisite yet easy dish. It’s  “melt in your” mouth delish! Bake it in the oven or on the barbie for an outdoor gathering this summer. 

If you love lamb, but have never tried a lamb  burger, you should definitely add it to your “to do” list. They are rich and delicious, and perfectly accented with kalamata tapenade and feta cheese.  

 Everyone has their own favorite brownie, and this happens to be mine! Made with almond paste and two kinds of chocolate it is rich and moist. You’ll have everyone coming back for “just” one more brownie bite!

  These chocolate chip cookies are tough to beat with butterscotch chips in addition to dark and milk chocolate chips. This cookie is the kissing cousin to 7-Layer Bars, but without the coconut or graham cracker crust.

  This jam is tangy-sweet and delicious with grilled meats or spread on sandwiches or toasted dinner bread. Plus it’s really pretty and makes a great gift if you happen to make a little extra!

 My friend first served us this shrimp when she had a little leftover from a fundraising event. My son thought he’d died and gone to shrimp heaven! It is a delicious combination of dill, ginger, garlic, shallots and dijon mustard tossed with a little white wine vinegar. You’ll find yourself fishing for more!

This  tomato  chutney  comes  courtesy  of  Rita  Shinde,  who  runs  Rita's Gourmet  Goa,  a  delightful  cooking  school  in  Goa,  India.  She  served  this  alongside  coconut  chutney   with  idli,  a  rice  and  lentil  puffy  bread.  If  you  cannot  make  the  idli,  a  good  soft  naan  would  serve  you  well  to  scoop  up  all  of  this  fresh  goodness!

If  you  love  buffalo  wings,  you  can’t  help  but  love  these    ”buffalo’d"  florets  of  cauliflower.  Serve  them  wit h a  wedge  of  your  favorite  blue  cheese  and  you  have  a  fantastic  flavor  on  your  plate!

These biscuits are the tallest I’ve ever made, and that’s probably because they have a lot of leavening in them with yeast, baking powder and baking soda! They are fabulously delicious and you can make the dough ahead of time and refrigerate it for several days.  

Making pasta at home is easier than you might think and the texture and flavor are so far superior to the dried pastas in the store. For an excellent pasta maker see the Marcato Atlas pasta roller below! We love a good Bolognese sauce made with veal or elk, but a wild mushroom sauce is hard to beat!  

There’s  almost  nothing  more  fun  than  picking  huckleberries,  if  you  enjoy  beautiful  weather,  the  great  outdoors  and  the  amazing  flavor  of  wild  huckleberries!  Whether you  eat  them  fresh,  make  jam  or  bake  them  into  your  favorite  berry  pie,  you  will  enjoy  these  little  treasures!

 Pair lime juice, cilantro and jalapeno with crab to make these really fabulous Southwest crab cakes! A panko coating offers the perfect crispy crust. 

This granola is easy to make and stores well! Add any nuts or seeds you love! Sweetened with brown sugar and agave with a hint of Himalayan pink salt, you'll be going back for second bowl!

This dark chocolate cake is very moist and so versatile. We've added chocolate chips and Reese's pieces, depending upon the crowd! It also makes amazing cupcakes!

 Homemade flour tortillas make the crust for this turkey taco pizza. A base layer of cream cheese-salsa topped with seasoned ground turkey (or beef), hot sauce and cheese, this makes a festive and hearty single serving size pizza. Top it off with the good green stuff - cilantro and guacamole!

 An array of veggies and herbs combine with tomatoes, Kalamata olives and garbanzo beans  to bring you a salad full of texture and good crunch!  Lemon juice and olive oil top it off for the perfect tangy touch.

 These stuffed poblano peppers are both delicious and festive! They require no peeling of the skins, which is a real time saver. Grilled or roasted, the combination of grilled corn off the cob, cheese and lots of fresh cilantro makes the perfect side dish to accompany steak or chicken, or a stand-alone vegetarian meal.

 This recipe reflects the warm spices of the Mediterranean, cooled by the Greek yogurt in the marinade, which keeps the chicken nice and moist, even after spending several minutes on the grill.

 Fluffy layers of rich, sweet buttercream frosting fill this beautiful occasion cake! The sprinkles of roasted pistachio pieces contrast nicely with the sweetness of the cake!

This cheesecake is amazing made with both goat cheese and cream cheese and  Biscoff wafer cookies in place of the graham crackers in the crust! You know ... those amazing little treats you get on Alaska and Delta Airlines ... they are now available at Safeway and Costco! They make a fabulous crust for cheesecake!

 When it comes to strawberry shortcake, making a delicious biscuit is the key. Then finding juicy ripe berries is a must, and to top it all off, I like to spread fresh strawberry glaze right over the biscuit before adding sliced berries and whipped cream. We really love the way this shortcake tastes - it’s just so creamy and delicious with all of the other ingredients. 

  I never met Rosalie, but I wish I had! She was one of my grandmother’s bridesmaids and she sure made a delicious coffee cake.  My grandmother would be turning 117 this summer, so this recipe has been around for quite a while! 

We are just about to turn the corner to fresh local corn on the cob and juicy, red tomatoes! There is nothing in the world like   locally grown, seasonal tomatoes and together with corn, these two combine to make an amazing dinner salad!

Basmati cooks perfectly every time, and it's especially delicious in this recipe with caramelized shallots, nuts and dried fruit! I made it to accompany the Silver Palate's Chicken Marbella, but it goes well with any grilled meat or curry dishes!