For the past week we've been having unseasonably hot weather here in the Carolinas with temperatures soaring into the mid to upper nineties - WHEW!! I'm just not ready for this type of extreme heat! One thing I do love about summer though, is the abundance of delicious fresh fruits that are available. Mangos, blueberries and avocados are plentiful and cheap right now so they've been popping ...
Pizza Margherita – a Royal Pie!
Pizza Margherita has to be the simplest yet most delicious of all pizzas! Besides the crust, it consists of three basic ingredients: tomatoes, mozzarella and fresh basil. That's it! They say that, often, the simplest things in life are the best and Pizza Margherita certainly fills this bill. The three star ingredients are praiseworthy on their own, but combine them with a golden, crisp ...
Asian Grilled Flat Iron Steak
Okay, I'll say it right up front - I CHEAT! Oh, not on my husband, in my work, on my taxes - or in anything that really matters. But my conscience will not let me continue blogging any longer without making a confession!If you've been following my blog you will, most likely, have realized that I enjoy experimenting with international cuisines. I love the fresh, unique flavors that each ...
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Fresh Corn Sauté with Ginger and Cilantro
I don't know about you, but I have been getting some wonderful fresh corn for the past few weeks; sweet, tender and so delicious! Ever since I found this Fresh Corn and Ginger Sauté recipe several years ago in Fine Cooking, I get excited when I begin seeing the big, heaping bins of corn at local markets. I remember being amazed the first time I prepared this simple sauté.
The ...
An Upside-Down Cupcake Party & Vanilla Poppy Seed Cupcakes with Caramel-Coffee Icing
I did something crazy last weekend. We were planning to have a casual dessert party this week so I sent out a fun e-vite to about 50 people - but wait, that's not the crazy part! I love cupcakes when entertaining a crowd because they're so easy to serve: I can make a variety of different flavors, being sure to please everyone. So, I decided that it would be a cupcake party.
Well...I ...
Cheesecake Tart with Blueberry Curd and Cookie Crust
Blueberry season has arrived! I saw a sale on blueberries at one of the local markets and I was sure it would be the tiny baskets of unappealing berries, (from somewhere in South America) that have been available all winter. I was delighted when I saw the pint-size containers and when I took a closer look and saw the plump, beautiful berries with a South Carolina origin, I knew I'd be concocting ...
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Super Simple, Deep Dish Pizza – with a Surprise Crust!
Several weeks ago I posted a recipe for Simple, Savory and Summery - Free-form Tarts with Fresh Corn and Tomatoes. I called them tarts, but they were very similar to little free-form pizzas. Ever since I have been thinking about trying puff pastry for a deep dish pizza crust. When I saw my favorite Italian sausage (Johnsonville) at the market today for a less than half price, it sealed the ...
Coconut Macaroon Tart with a Shortbread Crust
My sister Annie was a guest blogger yesterday and I'm featuring her again today. When I arrived at her house last week, she had this beautiful Coconut Macaroon Tart with a Shortbread Crust just waiting to greet me! YUM! We enjoyed it on her awesome rooftop terrace that looks out over the Ohio River (see picture below) but believe me, this tart will receive rave reviews no matter where you ...
Chicken Marbella
Last week I had the sweet opportunity to spend time with two of my sisters. We don't get to be together as much as we'd like since we live in opposite parts of the country, but we never seem to miss a beat when we do get the chance to spend time with each other. We reminisce, laugh our heads off, act like we're still little girls and talk till the wee hours, just catching up with each other's ...
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Steak and Sweet Corn Salad with Basil Vinaigrette
Yesterday I shared a recipe for a delicious Sweet Basil Vinaigrette. There are myriads of ways to utilize this wonderful dressing and it is especially fabulous in this delightful salad.
Around our house, we generally don't eat a lot of red meat. When grilling a steak, I usually serve a small portion of the meat and surround it with lots of yummy vegetables or a great salad. ...
Sweet Basil Salad Dressing
If this salad dressing could talk it would be shouting, SUMMER! SUMMER! SUMMER!........ If you ask me, this beautiful, green, vibrant vinaigrette is truly the "essence of summer" for the palate. It is bright, fresh, fragrant, and well, just plain heavenly! It honestly seems to enhance just about any type of salad and is delicious drizzled on grilled chicken, shrimp, fish, even roasted vegetables. ...
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Strawberry-Pineapple and Fruits of the Forest Freezer Jam
They say that you can't tell a book by it's cover and this definitely applies to strawberries! Although strawberries are now available all year round at our local grocery stores, they are not even in the ball park when compared with sweet, local, fresh picked berries. I dream of these local berries all winter and I am delighted when the season finally arrives. One day last week a sweet friend ...
