an outdoor summer dinner

We set up under a big tree in the yard.  Dinner included cedar-plank salmon, grilled steak, and broccoli salad.  Dessert was Mexican Chocolate Cake with a scoop of cinnamon ice cream. 

flank steak soft tacos

Continuing on our fresh corn tortilla journey - this filling is Chipotle-Onion Flank steak, topped with a tomatillo salsa that I got at the local grower's market.

my first experience with garlic scapes

I enjoyed getting these at a local grower's market this spring. This shoot from the garlic plant is a bit milder than the garlic bulb.  I used it in place of basil to make a fantastic garlic scape pesto.  In this dish I was making pasta with ham, peas, and cream so I garnished it with a dollop of the super tasty garlic scape pesto.  I froze some of the pesto (since we get garlic scapes only in the spring) and have used it as a sandwich spread and as a focaccia topping. 

late spring dinner - crab, peas, chocolate

I had a lot of seasonal ingredients on hand in June so I made a fresh pea & mint soup, a creamy crab caesar salad, and a warm chocolate budino with ice cream for dessert.

coffee drenched ice cream with banana & nuts

Sometimes you just need dessert!  Check this out from Cooking Light:  http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/coffee-drenched-ice-cream-50400000110490/
I had some mocha ice cream that I used instead of vanilla.  This is a delicious version of a hot fudge sundae. 

braised beef tacos, arugula shrimp salad

We continued to use the uncooked corn tortillas from Costco with various kinds of fillings for fresh soft tacos with the freshly cooked tortillas.  This filling was cola-braised beef.  The shrimp salad included arugula I harvested from our garden. 

carbonara-style pasta

This tends to be our ultimate comfort food.  I used penne this time sauced with the classic onion, pancetta (bacon), egg sauce topped with freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

tuna guacamole tacos

I bought a package of 60 uncooked corn tortillas to try from Costco.  We spent several meals enjoying them - this was the first one.  I quickly seared some fresh tuna and served it with guacamole on the just cooked corn tortillas.  I had also brought home some fresh spinach from a local growers market that afternoon so I made a salad with fresh mozzarella and the lovely spinach.

parmesan chicken turns into salad

I was preparing some Parmesan Chicken when I also decided to grill some romaine, then I put it all together as a sort of grilled chicken ceasar salad.

tex-mex hash browns

This Tex-Mex Hash Brown casserole was another tasty Cooking Light recipe, here I have paired it with a mixed green salad and shallot vinaigrette.  http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/tex-mex-hash-brown-casserole-50400000119693/

meat and potatoes

Here you see Grilled Sirloin with Anchovy-Lemon Butter and Broccoli http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/grilled-sirloin-anchovy-broccoli-50400000119660/  and Cheddar-Bacon Mashed Potatoes http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/grilled-sirloin-anchovy-broccoli-50400000119660/, both from Cooking Light magazine and fast enough for a weekday dinner.

cheesy chicken pasta bake

This was an opportunity to use up some leftovers - I sauteed some veggies, combined them with marinara sauce and cooked chicken.  That sauce was mixed with some cooked short pasta, lots of Parmesan, and baked until bubbly. 

crispy herbed shrimp with chive aioli

This delicious dinner came from a recipe in Cooking Light magazine, complete with a side dish of asparagus, shallots, & grape tomatoes.  http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/crispy-herbed-shrimp-chive-50400000119668/

chicken cacciatore

I just made a quick tomato pan sauce after sauteeing chicken breast tenders, adding some onion and bell pepper too - this was served on top of pasta and then I shaved Parmesan on the top.

roasted pineapple

I love this fruit dessert!  I roasted wedges of pineapple, glazed with a bit of brown sugar, and served them with fresh mint, plain Greek yogurt, and chopped pistachios on top.