Fall is here! Well…. It’s supposed to be at least. I don’t know where you live but it’s sweltering hot where I am! So what do you do when you’ve had a seriously tough week and want to unwind and celebrate the new season? You make a fall flavored icy cocktail! This cocktail has been dubbed “The Toughest Week” so I hope you’ll find comfort in one of these after you’ve had one of those… but most of all I hope you have only good weeks.
The thing I think most people don’t realize about any stock is how easy (and inexpensive) it is to make. Sure it can be time consuming because it has to cook down for a long time, but if you’re never home for that amount of time throw it in the crock-pot! You will be amazed by the flavor and quality difference you will achieve once you have it.
The other thing that I, myself, was surprised about was the fact that all it requires is stuff you’ve usually got laying around your kitchen. I have taken it even one step further and learned to apply my “Recipe Schmecipe” approach to the whole thing.
Let me explain…
First, I am excited to announce that I now have printable recipe cards! Sheesh took me long enough! Thanks to my good friend and technology/internet/AND food GENIUS Jared at QUADPIXELS.COM , you are now able to print out simple recipe cards… just go to the bottom of the post! Two things- A) I made the layout super simple to save your printer ink. B) I am working on applying the recipe cards to my previous posts which will take a while so I thank you for your patience!
Now for the recipe! I love tahini. Tahini is basically just a ground sesame paste that is used in a lot of Greek and Middle Eastern cuisine. Super nutty and creamy, it is delicious in dips like hummus but also fabulous on its own. Since I love it so much and seem to always have it on hand I decided to experiment with it a bit. So here it is: Cold, crunchy chicken salad with creamy tahini and ginger vinaigrette.
A slight downside to having a food blog with a lot of content is that once a recipe has been posted it can get buried deep in the archives never to be seen by the new eyes that come to your site everyday. SO, I decided to do a little ‘recipe round-up’ for those who may not have seen some of my older (and favorite) recipes for the summer. I am leaving out any summer recipes that have gone up in the past 6 months or so, SO if you’re that new then take a look at the past few months in the archives. (warning: some of these featured recipes are super old… and the photos will show it haha). I am thinking about doing this every summer and winter. Hopefully it’s helpful! Anyway, happy summer! Enjoy!
Do I have anything on my face??
Seriously though, I just love wings, they’re interactive, a little messy, and down right delicious. This traditional bar food is very popular on most … you guessed it, bar menus… but rarely seen in the home setting. I think this is probably because none of us want to bust out the deep fryer and fill the house with smoke and grease before our guests arrive. Also, the traditional spicy red sauce isn’t exactly new and exciting.
This easy, oven-baked, recipe puts a new spin on your average game day snack but preserves what we love most about it- that sticky, sweet, spicy, tangy, and crispy bite.
I love having people over, seriously it feeds my soul, but sometimes it can get pretty overwhelming getting an entire menu together. This little appetizer (or side dish) is SO easy and can be made ahead of time or in the matter of 10 minutes if you have an unexpected drop-in. I recommend letting your cheeses come to room temperature, but if you’re in a rush you’ll just need to use a little more “elbow grease”. Here it is folks… Entertaining made easy with baked crostini with sun dried tomato, goat cheese, and mascarpone!
Have you ever had chimichurri sauce?? It’s AMAZING… bright, fresh, zesty- everything good. You will most commonly see it served on steak in restaurants but holy moley, the sky is the LIMIT with this stuff. I put it on veggies, to marinate or top seafood and poultry, as a salad dressing, on eggs (see image at the end), even as a dip for my OVEN ROASTED ARTICHOKES <<< recipe here (The artichoke dip discovery was LIFE CHANGING).
The most amazing thing about it all though, is that it is a snap to make and super impressive to anyone who tries it. Keep in mind (like with all of my recipes) the ingredients are super interchangeable, use whatever herbs you like! Also, this is my take on chimichurri, some recipes don’t call for lemon or shallot etc. but this is how I like it.
To be honest, I really have no problem with mayonnaise… I actually really like it! This recipe is just a fun, light way to change up your traditional sumer side dish. A huge bonus is that this salad lasts much longer in the heat without spoiling like mayonnaise based dishes. I have brought this to quite a few BBQs and it is always a hit and so so easy to make! Definitely a must-try.
This recipe serves about 5 people. Double the ingredients for a bigger group. Also, feel free to switch out any herbs you like! Tarragon, basil, chives, thyme etc. The world is your oyster!
I recently rediscovered my love for asparagus. I could eat it everyday, and kind of do right now. I like it anyway it can be prepared- sautéed, roasted… I even like it raw (in my RAW ASPARAGUS AND LEEK SALAD WITH LEMON ACHOVY DRESSING). I buy a couple bundles at a time and keep ’em around for whenever I’m craving it… which is all the time. So here is the best way to keep these puppies fresh!
*Also, you can find a quick recipe for a simple but so so yummy sautéed asparagus at the end of this post!