Chicken & Roasted Yam Quesadilla

This is another great dish made from leftovers and pantry staples. I roast a chicken once every few weeks and/or we buy a roasted chicken from the grocery store. Either way we usually only eat the chicken as is for one meal, more often than not leaving us with leftovers. Sometimes the boy will make a sandwich with what's left, or I'll make chicken salad but very often I like to try to get creative with the leftover chicken. It's not only packed full of great roasted flavor, but it also makes for a quick and easy meal during the week.

It's no secret I love Mexican food, so we will often have tortillas around. While whole wheat tortillas aren't exactly authentic especially not the ones our grocery store has, they are a staple. Along with a recent find of a great fresh salsa that has awesome fresh flavor and is great on chips or eggs or just about anything. So on yet another week when Mama Earth sent us organic yams, I took what we had on hand and threw together this tasty quesadilla.

Chicken & Roasted Yam Quesadillas
serves 4

2 organic yams - sliced into 1/4" rounds
2 Tbsp or more extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper
2 chicken breasts - great use of leftovers.
8 whole wheat tortillas
3 cups finely grated aged white cheddar or smoked cheddar
3/4 cup fresh salsa - bought from the produce section of the grocery store
cooking spray
sour cream (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Toss yam rounds in olive oil, salt & pepper and place in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Roast for 20-30 minutes until tender and golden brown. Remove from oven and set aside. Lower oven heat to 350F.
2. If you are using leftover, already cooked chicken skip to step 3. If you are using uncooked chicken breasts, heat 1 Tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle salt & pepper all over chicken. Place in heated skillet and cook for 10-15 minutes, turning every five minutes until chicken is cooked.
3. Shred cooked chicken and return to skillet with salsa. Let simmer over low heat until everything is heated and you are ready to use it.
4. Spray a small skillet with cooking spray and place over medium heat. Place one tortilla in skillet and heat until lightly golden on each side. Stored warmed tortillas in a clean towel to keep warm and continue warming the other tortillas.
5. Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray. Place two heated tortillas on the prepared sheet. layer shredded cheese, a single layer of yams, a single layer of chicken, more cheese and finally a second tortilla. Place cookie sheet in the oven for 10 minutes, until the cheese melts and the entire thing is heated all the way through. Remove from oven and place a second cookie sheet with two more assembled quesadillas into the oven.
6. Let quesadilla rest for 5 minutes before cutting into quarters and serving with sour cream.


I don't think the boy was sold on this one until he tried it. He is forever being subjected to my combining savoury and sweet and the oven roasted yams have a great sweetness that he wasn't convinced would be good in a quesadilla. I happily showed him the way and on this deliciously savoury with a hint of sweet quesadilla that now make regular appearances at dinner.

Beef Bourguignon Burgers

I'm going to start this by saying I have never had Beef Bourguignon before. I truly know very little about it, just that it's a delicious sounds red wine and beef dish that I always see on French menus but have yet to try. About a week ago when we were driving home from the cottage the boy and I decided to do burgers for our Sunday night dinner, because it was a nice night for grilling and burgers are easy. Traditionally in our house, the boy makes burgers, not because I can't but because it's his thing. Well it's my turn now.

As I was walking around the grocery store I remembered that I had some mushrooms from our most recent Mama Earth delivery, abottle of red wine and a whole wack of fresh herbs from my new herb garden. The boy and I bought some and then his mom bought me some, I have alot of duplicates but I love fresh herbs and have very little faith in my gardening abilities so it's good for me to have extra! I remembered a few years ago seeing Rachel Ray make a burger version of Beef Bourguignon of it on her show 30-Minute Meals and from what I could tell I had all the necessary ingredients at my finger tips.

I chose not to even glance at Ms. Ray's recipe as I wanted to build this one on my own. I just looked at some Beef Bourguignon recipes and formulated my burger from there. While I know there is no cheese in Beef Bourguignon, I can't have a burger without cheese. Keeping with the French theme I decided to stuff the burgers with brie. The boy and I are on a stuffed burger kick, ever since he made the most amazing blue cheese stuffed burgers ever. I promise to post them some day, they are that good.

Beef Bourguignon Burgers
makes 3 large burgers or 5 smaller

BURGERS
1 1/4 lb lean ground beef
2 cloves garlic - minced
1/2 small onion - chopped
1 Tbsp fresh thyme - chopped
1 Tbsp fresh rosemary - chopped
1 Tbsp Montreal Steak Spice or other grill spice
2 Tbsp red wine
1/2 wedge or more brie - rind removed and cut into 1/2" cubes
3 whole wheat buns
baby spinach

TOPPING
1 lb crimini mushroom or baby bellas - sliced
2 Tbsp unsalted butter - separated
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup red wine
salt & pepper

1. In a large bowl mix together meat, garlic, onions, herbs and steak spice. Once incorporated work in the red wine.
2. Form meat into 6 pancake thin patties. Place 4-5 cubes of brie in the center of three of the patties. Cover with the remaining 3 patties and seal the edges. Place finished burgers in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
3. Heat olive oil and 1 Tbsp butter in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Once heated and butter is melted add in mushroom. Let cook for 2-3 minutes over medium heat then remove from heat and add in red wine. Return to heat and cook down until wine reduces by half. Salt & pepper to taste. At this point you can remove from heat until burgers come off the grill.
4. Preheat grill to medium low. Grill burgers 8-10 minutes per side for medium. Using the corner of the spatula, poke hole in top just before pulling from grill to let any steam that has accumulate with the cheese melting to escape. While grilling the burgers, lightly toast the buns.
5. To dress place a small handful of baby spinach leaves on the bottom bun, place the burger on the spinach. Then top burger with the mushroom and wine sauce and place the other half of the bun on top. Enjoy!


These burgers were bursting with flavor, from the fresh herbs and red wine and mushrooms. They were really quite easy to put together and so worth it with the richness of the flavors. The boy loved them! And being the burger connoisseur in our house, that means alot. Even though the burgers are stuffed you still get some of the delicious brie oozing out. You could melt the cheese on top but then there goes the surprise of having it stuffed. Either way you should make these burgers soon. Enjoy!

T&C: Lemon Olive Oil Mousse

I'm so glad I found the time to sign up and participate in this month's Taste & Create, the blogging event where you are paired up with another blogger and you try a recipe from your partner's site and they try one from yours. The last time I participated I made Grilled Wings with a Chipotle Dry Rub, and found a great new blog to follow Culinary Disasters. The boy loved the wings so much I've made them numerous times since. I was really looking forward to another winning experience with this month's go. My partner is La Recette du Jour, a lovely French & Mediterranean inspired blog. I had the hardest time picking one recipe to try but because of time constraints and a desire to use stuff I had on hand, decided upon a lovely Lemon and Olive Oil Mousse that looked easy and perfect to make amidst this insane heat wave we've been having here in Toronto.


Lemon & Olive Oil Mousse
adapted from La Recette Du Jour

finely grated zest of 1 untreated lemon
juice of 1 1/2 lemons
2 egg yolks and 1 egg white
1/4 cup fruity, good-quality Italian extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp acacia honey
2 tbs caster sugar
Mint & fresh blueberries to garnish

1. Put the egg yolks in a small, heavy pan with the zest and lemon juice. Heat gently, stirring constantly till it thickens to a custard consistency. This won’t take long; don’t overheat, or it will curdle.

2. Remove from the heat and stir in the honey and olive oil. Put in the fridge to chill. You can do this part in advance, even the day before.

3. No more than an hour before you want to serve the mousse, whisk the egg whites till stiff, then add the sugar and whisk till shiny and standing in stiff peaks. Fold into the custard mixture, spoon into 4 pretty glasses, and return to the fridge till ready to eat. Garnish with fresh blueberries and some mint.

I am so glad I chose to make this mousse it is so easy, light and refreshing. While it's not the fanciest dessert, the flavors are subtle and refined, making it impressive in flavor. The original recipe said 3-4 Tbsp of olive oil but the olive oil desserts I have had in the past really showcase the flavor of the oil and I wanted that here so I went the a full 1/4 cup (the equivalent of 4 Tbsps). While the tartness of the lemon was in the forefront here, I'm glad I went with the larger quantity of oil because it gave a really nice underlying olive oil flavor that made the dish for me. All in all this was a winner and one I expect to make for our next dinner party. The boy was working last night when I finished this off so I don't have his verdict on it. But I like it and I liked making it and that's what really matters, right?

One note on portions, La Recette du Jour said this recipe made 4 portions, I actually only got 2 out of it, but that could be attributed to my warped American sense of portions and the glasses I used for serving. But it was so tasty that I had no problem eating half of it! Enjoy!

Mussels with White Wine Fennel Sauce & Blue Cheese

Mussels are almost a religion in my family. I've been eating them for as long as I can remember. When I was in Brussels for 1 day 10 years ago (I can't believe it's been that long) I knew I had to get mussels and frites. Any time I am at a French bistro it takes all I have to not always order mussels and frites, as they are on any decent bistro's menu.

Last Friday the boy and I went to Tati Bistro and adorable French Bistro in the West End of Toronto, that a friend of his owns. They had mussels & frites on the menu and I surprisingly resisted and had a fabulous meal of beef carpaccio and black cod. As we loved the place I'm sure I will be back to sit at the bar, eat mussels and frites with a delicious glass of the Chateau d'Angeles rose. Seriously check out Tati if you are in Toronto, the boy's steak frites were amazing, the cheese selection is wonderful and they wine list is solid.

I've now completely gotten of topic. Mussels. I love them. Since I opted not to have them on friday night, I decided to make them at home. What I realized in buying them is that here in Toronto, lovely PEI (that's Prince Edward's island for those not in the know) Mussels are surprisingly inexpensive. We got a bag for $4.99! I think we'll be eating more mussels this summer. IN another twist of fate, it turned out that the Food Network had an episode of Bobby Flay's Throwdown focusing on mussels and frites. I only caught bits and pieces of the episode but I did see that the hometown favorite and, of course, winner used blue cheese on his mussels. We had blue cheese in the fridge so I decided to incorporate it into the recipe I had come up with

Mussels with White Wine Fennel Sauce & Blue Cheese

3/4 cup chicken stock - it all I had but I'm sure a fish stock would be lovely here too
1 cup dry white wine
1/2 large fennel bulb - sliced
1 Tbsp fennel fronds
1 shallot roughly chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 lbs mussels
175g blue cheese
salt & pepper

1. Go through mussels and remove nay that have cracked shells or are open and don't close when tapped. Remove the beard, the stingy part that sticks out of the shell and then let the mussels sit on cold water for a 5 minutes, stirring everyone in awhile to help get rid of any sand. Remove from water with a slotted spoon and then place in a colander and rinse one more time with cold water.
2. In a large saute pan (one that can comfortably accommodate the mussels) heat olive oil and 2 Tbsp butter over medium heat. Add in the chopped shallots and cook until translucent. Add in sliced fennel saute for 2 minutes or until just begin to soften.
3. Add chicken stock and simmer for approximately 3 minutes. Remove saute pan from heat and add white wine. Return to heat and let simmer for 3-5 more minutes, until most of the alcohol has burned off.
4. Whisk in remaining 2 Tbsp of butter, salt & pepper and then add in fennel fronds and mussels, cover and steam until all the mussels have opened, another 3-5 minutes.
5. Turn off heat, remove lid from pan, discard any mussels that haven't opened and sprinkle blue cheese crumbles all over mussels. Serve in a large bowl with lots of broth and nice crusty bread.



This was a perfectly easy dinner that is packed with flavor and I loved the way the blue cheese crumbles tasted melted on the mussels and in the broth. It was a really interesting and delicious combination. The fennel added great depth to the sauce and was beautifully tender. I can't wait to make this one again.

Don't forget to enter my Blogoversary contest...Enjoy!

My First Blogoversary and my first Giveaway!!

UPDATE!! MARIA FROM TWO PEAS IN THEIR POD WAS THE ENTRY NUMBER PICKED BY RANDOM.ORG . CONGRATS!!

Hi there my fabulous readers! Today is the 1 year Blogoversary. Back then the site was called Cooking with Jen, which I relaunched in November 2008 as Piccante Dolce. I never thought I'd make it doing this a year or that it would have grown as much as it has. To take a page from the wonderful Susan at She's Becoming Doughmesstic I thought I'd put together a list of some of the things I'd done or accomplished over the past year, in no particular order

Baked bread – after many failed attempts. Still need to post this since it's something the boy gobbles up before I can photograph

Made pasta – without a pasta machine - this is recent and will be posted soon!

Perfected pie crust – finally!!

Submitted a recipe to the Food Network Ultimate Recipe Challenge

Submitted 2 recipes to the Tillamook Mac & Cheese Contest

Placed in the Safeway Cheese Champions contest for my Raspberry Mascarpone French Toast Strata. Stay tuned for the cookbook on sale this July in your local Safeway!

Won the Foodtv.ca Cooking Club Challenge with my sweet potato version of Michael Smith’s gnocchi

Went from being a self-proclaimed non-baker to a good baker who has even developed her own cake and pie crust recipes

I bake with the fabulous ladies over at You Want Pies With That and just won my first challenge for my peach pie.

Participated, twice in Taste and Create

Had a two photos posted on Food Gawker and one on Tastespotting

Made some fabulous blogger friends all across the US and Canada. If you're even in TO stop by for a glass of wine!

There you have it twelve accomplishments, one for every month in a year. To help keep me honest here are a few of my goals for the upcoming year:

Actually make a dent in the cookbook I want to write

Have some of my baked goods and other creations sold at local cafes

Enter the Shelburne Orchards Apple Pie contest in September

Host more giveaways

Make homemade ice cream, without an ice cream maker

Make homemade marshmallows and graham crackers


Now on to why you are really reading this post, the Giveaway! For my blogoversary I wanted to do something special for my readers, especially my loyal ones who faithfully read and post comments, you are the best! And for the new ones, take it as a bribe of sorts to keep you reading :)

I recently became a TasteBook affiliate (see the little widget over in the left sidebar). TasteBooks are these fabulous cookbooks that you can customize with your own recipes or search some of the great sites they partner with like Epicurious, AllRecipes and many others. I put one together for my dad for his birthday with all of my grandmother's recipes. I also created a Piccante Dolce TasteBook with 40 of my favorite recipes from the blog and some that haven't been posted yet for you to purchase and there's even room to add some of your own recipes.

But, I'm digressing...in honor of my blogoversay I decided to give to one lucky reader at $25 TasteBook gift certificate!

I'm sure you're all wondering how do I win this fabulous prize? Well, for a chance at the TasteBook Gift Certificate all you need to do is post a comment below. What specifically do you need to post, you ask? Quite simply what do you think makes the most perfect s'more?

You may have already guessed that my goal of homemade marshmallows and graham crackers will be used for gourmet s'mores and to help me jazz them up a bit more I'd like to know what you think should be in there to make them even more special? Over on twitter @jo_jo_ba suggested a slice of banana which I think sounds divine. But I know you guys are creative so I want to hear your thoughts.

UPDATE!! DEADLINE EXTENDED TO MONDAY AT MIDNIGHT EDT!! The winner will be chosen randomly after midnight EDT Sunday June 21. So post your comments below. For an extra entry tweet about the contest with a link to this post and come back here to post again telling me you tweeted.

Good luck!

Vanilla Ricotta with Summer Berries and Balsamic Syrup

For this super easy an delicious summer dessert check out my guest post over at Domestic Divas. Enjoy!

Strawberry Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake

Strawberry Rhubarb is one of my favorite pie flavors. I've always loved it and yet when rhubarb season came around this year I decided I wanted to try something different. I decided on an upside down cake, because I think they are perfect for warmer weather because they aren't very time intensive and you get a deliciously perfect cake all in one step and one pan. Also I think I ever saw a strawberry rhubarb upside-down cake, making it just a bit different. This cake utilized the fruit I got from Mama Earth, my organic veggie delivery which I think made the flavors all the better!

Strawberry Rhubarb Upside Down Cake
Makes 1 8" cake

1 1/2 cups of rhubarb - cut into 1/4" pieces
1/2 cup of strawberries - sliced
2 Tbsp demera sugar
7 Tbsp unsalted butter - separated and at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg at room temperature
1 cup cake flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1.2 tsp coarse salt
1/2 cup buttermilk - at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Wash a cut rhubarb and strawberries, keep them in separate bowls. Using 1 Tbsp of butter butter an 8" nonstick round cake pan. Sprinkle the bottom with demera sugar. Place strawberry slices in a nice pattern on the sugar leaving room between each slice for the rhubarb to show. Evenly spread the rhubarb on top of the strawberries, making sure to fill and holes. It's ok if the rhubarb is on top of some strawberries. Set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream together remaining 6 Tbsps of butter and granulated sugar. Once combined and fluffy mix in egg. In a medium bowl mix together dry ingredients and in a small bowl mix together the buttermilk and vanilla. Add dry and wet ingredients into butter mixture in three additions, starting and ending with the dry. Mix batter until just combined
3. Pour batter into cake pan, carefully spreading evenly. Place into heated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes until golden and a cake tester comes out clean. Let cool completey before flipping out of the pan onto a plate.

I am so very happy with how this cake turned out. The cake itself was moist, with a nice crumb and the sweet tart fruit topping went perfectly. I brought my first attempt at this cake to the office, because I thought it was shy on fruit and even though some people confirmed that they all said the flavors were great, the recipe here is adjusted for more fruit. I really enjoyed this cake and look forward to trying it with many different fruits this summer.

Stay tuned tomorrow for my guest post on Domestic Divas, it's a delicious and easy summer dessert. Enjoy!

Salt Potatoes

We recently had an amazing and delicious Lobster Feast up at the Boy's family cottage. Lobster is one of my all time favorite things, just steamed with some drawn butter and I am happy. Most people need a bit more so we also did some grilled corn on the cob and an old favorite in my house growing up salt potatoes. These potatoes are so easy and go perfectly with any of your lobster, crab or any other shellfish dinners you'll be enjoying this summer.

Salt Potatoes
serves 8

4 lbs washed new potatoes (should all be about the same size)
1 1/2 cups kosher salt
cold water
1/2 cup unsalted butter
fresh chives - roughly chopped

1. Fill a large pot halfway with cold water. Add the salt to the water and stir until much of the salt dissolves.
2. Add in the washed potatoes. Turn stove to medium high, bring water to a boil and cook potatoes at a rolling boil for 15 minutes or until tender.
3. While potatoes boil melt butter over low heat, until completely melted.
4. Once potatoes are tender drain in a colander. Return to warm pot and toss with butter and chives.


This is my favorite type of dish, one with few steps and ingredients and lots of flavor, of course alot of the flavor is attributed to have super fresh potatoes. There isn't much to say about these, they are great, everyone loved them and the boy has a potato-eating family. Make them this summer and let me know how they turn out. Enjoy!

Coconut Crusted Lime Tartlettes

This is my submission for the lovely Rachel Rappaport's 5th Blogoversary contest for her fabulous blog Coconut & Lime. Coconut & Lime was one of the first food blog I happened upon and part of the reason I decided to start my own. I love that her recipes are all original and I think she makes great stuff. There are 2 ways to enter this contest, (which is offering some great prizes, either of which I'd be happy to win) (1) make one of Rachel's multitude of recipes posted over the last 5 years or (2) create something with her signature ingredients Coconut & Lime. Even though I have used her recipes for inspiration in the past, I really want to work more at creating my own recipes and decided to go with the latter option. I had a few of ideas for recipes using these ingredients and really wanted to make something that combined sweet and savory, but alas I just didn't have the time to pull of my ideal dish, maybe next year. That being said this is a dessert I am very proud of and something I never would have come up with without this contest.


Coconut Crusted Lime Tartlettes
makes 4 4" tarts

CRUST
2 cups of sweetened flaked coconut
1/4 tsp salt
3 egg whites

LIME CURD
3/4 cup lime juice
2 tsps lime zest - packed
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup sugar
6 egg yolks

1. Preheat oven to 350F. In a a medium bowl mix together coconut, salt and egg whites until well combined.
2. Spray tartlette pans with cooking spray. Press 1/4 of coconut mixture into each pan, along the bottom and up the sides.
3. Place tartlette pans on a cooking sheet and bake in preheat oven for 20-30 minutes until set and coconut begins to brown. Remove from oven and let cool for 2 hours. While still slightly warm remove outer shell of tart pans and let cool completely. Crust keeps well in a refrigerator overnight.
4. In a medium saucepan place butter, lime juice, lime zest and 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. Bring to a boil. In a bowl whisk together egg yolks and remaining sugar.
5. Temper the egg yolks, by adding a Tbsp of the boiling mixture at a time and whisking until the yolk have been slowly brought up to temperature.
6. Add egg mixture to saucepan and bring to a boil, whisking constantly until it begins to thicken. Remove from heat pour into a nonreactive bowl and cover with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic wrap on to the surface of the curd. Let chill in the refrigerator overnight.
7. Assemble tarts by placing 1/4 of the lime curd into each tart shell. Even out with an offset spatula, let chill for 1 hour before serving.


While this recipe sounds complicated with alot of steps, they are actually all very easy. The hardest part is waiting for things to cool and set up, for me that is since I have no patience. The crust tastes like a macaroon, which I really like and the lime curd has just the right amount of tartness to complement the sweet crust. I am of course biased because I love fruit curd of any kind. Basically this dessert combines two things I love into one nice summer treat. I made four tartlettes, kept 2 for the boy and I and brought the other 2 into the office. They got all kinds of ooos and ahhhs which was good for my ego, but I also love having people besides the boy try these concoctions just so I know he's not just being nice when he says he likes something. I am also really proud of the photos for this post, it was the first time I had too many good pictures and I really feel like my food photography is turning a corner. All in all this has been my most fun recipe contest to date. I hope it shows in the results. Wish me luck!

Domestic Diva's Tilapia with Spring Onions & Heirloom Tomato Salad

The lovely Domestic Diva is back to share another fabulous and fresh fish dish with us. I can't wait to try this one! When you are done checking it out don't forget to head on over to her blog for delicious recipes ideas, wine tasting notes and much more. - Jen

The Diva is back on Piccante Dolce! I'm here to bring you one of my favorite, simple summer recipes. This dish is light, refreshing and simple to make and captures the flavors of spring. Tomatoes are just about to come into season, and I managed to score some beautiful, organic heirlooms this week. If you want to transform it for the grill, instead of tilapia, this dish can be made with a steakier fish like Mahi-Mahi or Halibut and instead of oven roasting the spring onions, the foil packet can be thrown on the grill. So with further ado, here's the recipe!

Domestic Diva's Tilapia with Spring Onions & Heirloom Tomato Salad

2 tilapia filets
1/2 cup white wine
1 sprigs tarragon
1 tsp lemon juice
1 heirloom tomato, cut into thin slices
1 bunch spring onions, tips removed
2 tbsp grapeseed or canola oil
1 tbsp good olive oil plus more for drizzling
salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lay the spring onions on a piece of aluminum foil. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Fold them up in the foil and roast them in the oven for 12-15 minutes or until they're tender. Remove from the oven.

Heat the grapeseed oil in a saute pan. Salt and pepper the tilapia filets. Add them to the pan, cooking for a few minutes on each side. Remove from pan. Add the white wine and reduce in half. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To plate, place a bunch of spring onions on the bottom of the plate. Top with a piece of fish. Spoon the white wine reduction over the fish. Layer the tomatoes on top, add a sprig of tarragon, and season with lemon juice and salt and pepper. Drizzle with some good olive oil. Enjoy!

YWPWT: Childhood Memory Pie

This month's You Want Pies with That theme was chosen by the fabulous Kittymama:

Childhood Memory Pie: Bake a pie or tart that is inspired by a favorite childhood memory. Maybe you spent a summer vacation in Maine so it's a blueberry pie; or your grandmother always baked lemon meringue, or you remember your first taste of apple pie ever. Tell us a little story that will help us walk down memory lane with you and relive some happy childhood memories!

For me this was a tough one, my Grandma (the one whose recipes I have often posted on here) always had pies around. The ones I remember were the refrigerator pies (even though I know she made fruit pies too), you know the kind with a cookie crust and some kind of pudding or custard filling. While they are definitely a childhood memory and delish, I have really been craving and for the most part prefer fruit pies. That being said it's hard to make a pie without thinking of my grandmother, no matter what kind, so that almost makes every pie a childhood memory pie for me. It was then that is came to me. Peaches! For as long as I can remember peaches have been up there among my favorite fruits, plus I remember for a few summers after my father started working in South Carolina that he would ship a massive crate of the biggest juiciest peaches up to us and we would have a ball making peach crisps and cobblers and even the occasional pie. So for the memories of my grandmother's pies and those massive crates of delicious peaches that I looked forward to every summer, I came up with this month's pie, a modern twist on a classic.

Grilled Asparagus with Lemon Vinaigrette

To go with the fabulous and oh so rich Pork Belly we decided to simple and easy on a side dish. The boy's parents had some beautiful asparagus that we decided to grill up. Rather than worry about keeping them hot I decided to do a salad treatment with a delicious lemon vinaigrette. They were the perfect foil to the pork belly and something I anticipate making all summer long.

Grilled Asparagus with Lemon Vinaigrette

ASPARAGUS
1 bunch of asparagus
2 Tbsp olive oil
salt & pepper

DRESSING
1 scallion - chopped (whites and greens)
2 tsps lemon zest
1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
salt & pepper

1. Preheat grill to medium/medium-low (approx 300F). Gently bend asparagus stalks towards the bottom until they snap, discard the bottoms and rinse the tops. Toss with olive oil, salt & pepper. Lay on the heated grill and cook for approximately 10 minutes, turning as the asparagus browns.
2. Whisk together all of the dressing ingredients, except the Parmesan and pour over top of the asparagus. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and let cool to room temperature before serving.


This is a perfectly easy summer dish that really showcases the flavor of the asparagus and is bright and fresh all at the same time. Enjoy!

"Waldorf" Lettuce Wraps

Not too long ago, I invited a good friend of mine and her boyfriend over to watch the NHL Playoffs. It was something we had been talking about doing for awhile but never set and when we finally did it was of course totally last minute and something I wasn't able to do my normal planning for. It was the weekend we picked out my brand new puppy, had a birthday party, the one I made the strawberry cupcakes for and had to go shopping to prep the house for the puppy, plus the normal household chores, it was busy. Then Sunday night came and 30 minutes before our guests were set to arrive I realized I needed to get a few little munchies together, all of us had eaten dinner but it is unacceptable for me to not have snack to offer my guests. I looked around the kitchen and thanks to our new organic veggie delivery, Mama Earth, I was able to throw together a delicious and tasty twist on a Waldorf Salad.

In the title of the post "Waldorf" is in quotes because a traditional Waldorf Salad has apples, grapes, celery, walnuts and blue cheese, I didn't have all of those ingredients on hand so I improvised.


"Waldorf" Lettuce Wraps
Makes 6-8 wraps

1 small head Boston lettuce
1 Golden Blush Apple
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbsp lemon juice
salt & pepper to taste

1. Wash and dry whole leaves of Boston lettuce. Leave the skin on the apple and cut it into a 1/2" dice.
2. In a small mixing bowl whisk together lemon juice and mayonnaise, add salt a pepper to taste.
3. Toss apples and pecans with the dressing. Lay lettuce leaves on a platter. Scoop 2 Tbsps of apple pecan mixture onto lettuce leaves. Sprinkle with sea salt and fresh cracked pepper. To eat, fold up lettuce leaf and viola!


I love how simple and flavorful the dressing is, it's perfectly tangy and pairs so well with the apples and nuts. It made for a pretty presentaion on the plate and is so good if you are ever entertaining people who are gluten free. That wasn't the case here, but it was tasty and appreciated nonetheless.

I mentioned Mama Earth at the start of the post, they are an organic fruit and vegetable delivery service that the boy and I started about a month ago that we love! Not only are half of our groceries delivered weekly, they are fresh and organic and mostly support local producers. There are veggie delivery service like this in many major cities and I highly recommend doing some research to find them. I know the fabulous Domestic Diva used LOVE veggie delivery in LA. You can also search CSA (community support agriculture) opportunities in your area. there wasn't a CSA that was convenient with our schedules, so this was the next best thing and I have to say I love it, because not only do they have fruits and veggies but you also have the option of adding other organic grocery items to your weekly order. Check out produce deliver options in your area. I guarantee once you do you won't turn back.

Enjoy!

Roasted Yam & Blue Cheese Fritatta

I love weekend brunch. Firstly because I love eggs, but also because brunch is later than breakfast and means you can sleep in a bit. With a new puppy the sleeping in isn't happening but I'll continue to call my first meal on the weekend, brunch. As much as I love to go out for brunch and be served I also really enjoy coming up with new tasty dishes to try. As I've mentioned before we recently started getting organic veggie delivery from the ever fabulous Mama Earth, in one of our recent baskets were some yams. I've only ever bought a cooked with sweet potatoes and was a bit intimidated by the yams upon hearing that they are in fact different vegetables. Now I could've done some research into how they are different, but I didn't because truth be told they look the same to me, so I decide to cook them the same way I'd cook sweet potatoes. One Saturday morning I woke up with a fresh carton of eggs in my fridge, lovely organic chives, blue cheese and those darn yams, and I just decided to throw something together. What that became was a Roasted Yam & Blue Cheese Fritatta. Yum!


Roasted Yam & Blue Cheese Fritatta
serves 3-4

1-2 organic yams (depending on size, they are yummy to munch on their own once roasted so leftovers are a bonus)
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
5 eggs
1/4 cup of milk
2 Tbsp organic garlic chives - chopped
1 tsp Herbes de Provence
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 cup blue cheese crumbles
sea salt & fresh cracked pepper


1. Preheat to oven to 400F. Peel and slice yam into 1/4" thick rounds. Spread in one layer on a cookie sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, salt & pepper. Place in the oven and roast for 15-20 minutes, until the edges become brown. Remove from oven and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl whisk together eggs, milk, garlic chives, Herbes de Provence, salt & pepper. Heat a medium oven-safe skillet over medium heat and spread butter around to coat the bottom and sides. Once the butter is melted and the pan is heated, pour in the egg mixture. Carefully lay in the roasted yam slices around the pan
3. As the eggs start to set-up, gently pull the eggs from the side of the pan, letting the uncooked eggs flow to the edges. When the eggs are cooked approx halfway (the center is still slightly liquid and the top is very soft), top with blue cheese crumbles and carefully move the pan to the heated oven. The rack should be in the middle of the oven, not right below the broiler.
4. The fritatta should cook until the cheese melts and the eggs are cooked all the way through. The top will start to turn a nice golden color. This will take approx 5-10 mins.
5. Remove pan from the oven (be careful of the hot pan handle), cover with a foil tent and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan to a cutting board or platter. Cut into 6 wedges and serve.

While I'm quite confident with my fritatta making skills and what I chose to put in them, I have to say this was my favorite thus far. The sweetness of the roasted yams paired with the pungent, strong blue cheese was perfect. I liked it so much that I reheated the leftovers the next day for breakfast, not something I traditionally do with eggs. The boy agreed and gobbled up 2 pieces without a second thought. Enjoy!