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. This Steak ...
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 ...
Strawberry Mango Salad with Pomegranate-Lemon Vinaigrette and Honey Toasted Pecans
I served this salad with the Simple, Savory, Summery Tart with Fresh Corn and Tomatoes that I posted yesterday. It is a winner, especially if local berries are available in your area of the country. Oh my, the flavors are just bursting in this delicious salad; the sweet strawberries and mangos and the creamy avocado combined wonderfully with the delicious pomegranate dressing. The salad can ...
Simple, Savory and Summery – Freeform Tarts with Fresh Corn and Tomatoes
I try to always keep a box of puff pastry in the freezer. It can, in no time, be magically transformed into delicious, flaky apple strudels, light and airy strawberry shortcake layers, classic Brie en Croute, fun crispy bread ribbons, and a multitude of other interesting appetizers, desserts and main course entrees. Even though it is stored in the freezer, puff pastry can come to your rescue ...
A Recipe for Endless Fresh Herbs – Without Endless Watering!
Hi! I'm on the road for a few days visiting my sisters in both Cincinnati and Milwaukee. We have enjoyed visiting and catching up, but we've also been having fun cooking up a storm together, so stay tuned for some great new recipes next week! In the meantime the Café has a very special guest blogger today. I'd like to introduce my best friend and awesome husband, Scott......
Cafe ...
Chinese Pork and Ginger Dumplings (aka Potstickers!)
Last but definitely not least!! Today is my final day of featuring recipes from the British culinary magazine, Delicious. If you ever get a chance to pick up a copy of this awesome monthly periodical, you won't be disappointed. Delicious also has a wonderful website that has amazing recipes, helpful tips and even a section devoted to conversions including oven temperatures, weights for ...
Delicious (skinny!) Créme Caramel
I decided, after posting the decadent Victoria Sandwich on Tuesday that it would also be nice to have a lighter dessert on The Café this week. Guess what? Delicious magazine, the British culinary magazine that I am featuring this week, came right to the rescue! Along with all of their other fabulous recipes Delicious offered a feature article this month called French food GETS SLIM! Wow, it ...
