This delicious Lemon Mousse is so elegant, yet easy enough to make an ordinary day special. It tastes like a creamy, fluffy lemon cloud with a layer of graham cracker-coconut-pecan crunch on the bottom. "Oh my goodness!" That's what Scott and I both said as we took the first bite of this lemon curd mousse and our eyes got big. It's light as one of those whimsical, fluffy, summer day clouds (well, ...
Read More →
A Slice of Heaven, Two Weeks in the French Alps
A glimpse of everyday life in a tiny Alpine village, our home-away-from-home for two weeks in the French Alps! Scott just said to me, "Can you believe we were in the French Alps, just a few days ago?" It does seem like a dream now that we're back at home in North Carolina, but it's definitely the kind of dream I wouldn't mind reliving! I've been sorting through the zillion pictures we took and ...
Read More →
Pizzazz up your Summer Salads with these Easy Dressings!
Spice up your salads with these mouthwatering dressings! Ten of our favorite homemade recipes, perfect for summer salads. A new salad dressing might just be the thing you need to renew your love for salads! These dressings are full of fresh flavors and perfect for all that wonderful, summer produce. Right now I have tons of fresh basil and little Sungold tomatoes in my garden. I ...
Read More →
Bacon Bourbon Barbecued Chicken Skewers
These Barbecued Chicken Skewers are beyond delicious, with tender chunks of spice-rubbed chicken breast, smoky bacon and crisp red onion. They're grilled to perfection, then charred with a super easy Bourbon Barbecue Sauce. With over 1100 recipes in The Café archives I often forget about wonderful meals from years gone by. It seems there are always a slew of new ideas to try and I just don't ...
Read More →
No-Oven Recipes, for the Dog Days of Summer
Too hot to cook? We've got you covered with these easy and delicious recipes for the dog days of summer, no oven required! We've reached the dog days of summer, officially! That time of the year where it feels too hot to get much done. I turned my oven up high the other night to roast some potatoes and the whole house was hot. It took hours to cool back down. Lesson learned! We live in ...
Read More →
A Market Visit and Dinner with a French Chef
Join us for a delightful culinary experience as we share our visit to a lovely artisan Alpine market and delicious dinner with a French chef. As Scott and I were preparing this spring for our three week July trip to France, I began to look into potential culinary opportunities that we could experience and then share. Since we were staying in the French Alps, just a stone's throw from Italy, I ...
Read More →
Every Day Easy French-Inspired Recipes
French cuisine made simple! We've rounded up some of our favorite French-inspired recipes easy enough for every day meals. Scott and I are spending a few weeks in the French Alps and had a delightful opportunity to spend an evening with a classically French-trained chef. It was a delightful experience and I got a TON of inspiration to take home with me. Be on the lookout for a post sharing our ...
Read More →
Make-Ahead Italian Zucchini Involtini
With cheese-stuffed ribbons of zucchini nestled in an easy Italian sausage-tomato sauce, this delicious Zucchini Involtini is a fabulous make-ahead meal that's perfect for family dinners and entertaining! I've been making versions of this Zucchini Involtini ("involtini de zucchini" in Italian) for the past three summers, but I wasn't completely satisfied with it until now. With a two-week trip to ...
Read More →
Franca’s Fabulous Italian Mint Pesto
This super simple 4-ingredient Italian Mint Pesto recipe is a delicious fresh condiment that can be served as an appetizer with cheese, used as a dipping sauce for bread, a great pasta saucedrizzled on chicken, salmon, shrimp, pork, and a zillion other things! If you haven't been keeping up with us, Scott and I are hanging out right now in the French Alps (near Chamonix) where' we've rented a ...
Read More →
Take a Culinary Trip to Italy with these Easy Italian Recipes!
Italian recipes are always a crowd pleaser! These are some of our favorites, perfect for easy entertaining. A few days ago, we shared a post called Italy for a Day... an Italian Culinary Adventure, covering a fun day Scott and I spent in Italy, which is just an hour from where we're currently spending two weeks in the French Alps. We've got two delicious Italian recipes coming up, one from the ...
Read More →
Italy for a Day… an Italian culinary adventure!
Come join us on a fun, delicious Italian culinary adventure as we share a delightful day in Italy at the home of an authentic Cesarina! If you haven't been keeping up with us, Scott and I are spending three weeks in France and have rented a small flat in the French Alps (near Chamonix) where we're residing for two weeks. We love hunkering down in one area when we travel, learning the local way ...
Read More →
10 Fabulous Recipes for Summer Tomatoes
Ten easy and delicious ideas for fresh summer tomatoes. You'll crave these seasonal recipes all year long! We wait all year for perfectly ripe, juicy summer tomatoes! Make the most of them with these easy and delicious recipes. I'm growing a few different varieties in my backyard this year. The vines are full of green tomatoes and I can hardly wait for them to ripen so we can enjoy them. I ...
Read More →
