You'll find yourself drizzling this delicious, sweet, tangy Honey-Cider Poppy Seed Dressing on a zillion different kinds of salads - and lots of other things too! When Scott and I moved to the mountains of western North Carolina last August, we were blessed with a larger house than we need for just the two of us. Over the past year, we've been delighted to be able to share it with others. The ...
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What to Cook Now- Cookies and Bars
Ten of our favorite cookie and bar recipes, perfect for summer. Any of these recipes would be a hit at your picnic, potluck, or party with friends. We've rounded up some of our favorite summer cookies and bars. These recipes are inspired by summer ingredients and flavors. There's always a reason to pack a picnic or gather together with friends and any of these recipes would be perfect for that! ...
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Easy Strawberry Jalapeño Jam
This Strawberry Jalapeño Jam is sweet, spicy and extraordinarily delicious! It's wonderful spooned over goat cheese, cream cheese and on appetizer trays. But don't stop there, read on for lots of other ways to use this wonderful condiment! I was pretty sure there was a mistake in this recipe for Strawberry Jalapeño Jam when I came across it on the Allrecipes site. After reading through the ...
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Perfectly Grilled Steak with Garlic Lime Butter
With a delicious Mexican-inspired dry rub, melting garlic lime butter and a few easy grilling tricks this recipe for perfectly grilled steak is sure to become a favorite! Although we don't eat a lot of red meat, a perfectly grilled steak, every now and then, is a HUGE treat! But we're kind of particular; no pale, wimpy-looking steaks will pass muster, here at The Café. To us, a perfectly grilled ...
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What to Cook Now- Summery Salad Dressings
Eight of our favorite salad dressings, sure to brighten up any salad! Full of fresh flavor, there's something for every cuisine. Around here, salad is always a good idea. Not boring salads, but bright, fresh, interesting salads full of seasonal produce. And most importantly, topped with a delicious salad dressing. We've rounded up some of our favorites that we think you will love. There's a ...
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Peanut Butter and Jelly Blondies
These Peanut Butter and Jelly Blondies will be a hit with kids of all ages! And you can mix them up in less than 10 minutes, with just one bowl and no mixer! I found this recipe for Peanut Butter and Jelly Blondies in a recent Bake from Scratch magazine. It looked like a fun idea and I thought they'd make a perfect all-American summer treat. But I had no idea how delicious this simple blondie ...
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Easy Strawberry Freezer Jam
Once you try this delicious, super fresh-tasting, Strawberry Freezer Jam, you'll be spoiled for life. I call it "springtime in a jar"! It's like a little dollop of heaven on toast, biscuits, scones, ice cream, yogurt... I posted this recipe for Strawberry Freezer Jam back in 2012 shortly after starting the blog but recently realized that it's now deeply buried in the Café archives (over 1100 ...
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What to Cook Now- Summer Side Salads
Ten of our favorite summer side salads, full of fresh, seasonal ingredients, and perfect for your next picnic or potluck! It's hard to believe that Memorial Day is right around the corner! Summer is almost here and that means cookouts, picnics, and potlucks. All of these recipes pair perfectly with grilled entrees and can be made ahead of time. Full of fresh, seasonal ingredients like tomatoes, ...
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Easy Fresh Strawberry Cake
The first bite of this amazingly delicious, super easy, fresh strawberry cake will blow you away. And you can have this one-bowl, no-mixer dessert in the oven in less than 15 minutes! I'm making up for lost time. Looking back, I realize that last spring is just a blur to me. After living in Raleigh, NC for 38 years, we found ourselves searching for a new home in the mountains of North Carolina. ...
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Fresh Corn Salad – A delicious crowd-pleaser!
Delicious, healthy and make-ahead, this Fresh Corn Salad is perfect for picnics, parties and potlucks. Leftovers are wonderful for lunch and dinner salads. Have you noticed the beautiful corn that's been showing up at the markets lately? Several of our local grocery stores have been displaying it right up front, mounded high in huge bins. And the price has been too good to resist! I've been ...
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Celebrate the Season! 10 Great Grilling Recipes
Ten of our best grilling recipes, perfect for warm weather and entertaining! These recipes are full of flavor, easy and delicious! Warm weather is here and summer is right around the corner! We love breaking out the grill this time of year. These are some of our favorite grilling recipes and we think you will love them too. Any of these recipes are easy enough for a weeknight dinner, but also ...
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Easy Key Lime Coconut Cake
Super moist with a tender crumb, this Key Lime Coconut Cake has a fabulous lime glaze that's brushed on after it's baked. It's one of those no-fail, crazy-delicious, one-bowl, no-mixer desserts. A keeper for sure! One of the most popular Café recipes ever is our French Grandmother's Lemon Yogurt Cake (I know, funny name, right?). The recipe has a charming story (hence the name) to go along with ...
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