honey-roasted pineapple

I like the taste of pineapple, but the commercial, store-bought ones have too much acid for my taste.  We were delighted when friends brought us a Maui Gold pineapple back from Hawaii - now that is one sweet fruit!  After we gobbled down the first half of it, I used the rest in this dessert. 
http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/honey-roasted-pineapple

parsley pesto pasta

This is a light pesto made with parsley, pine nuts, olive oil and lemon zest.  I love it tossed with a wonderful twisty shape pasta.  We used strozapretti here. 

bacon waffles with blackberry-maple syrup

I just added cooked crumbled bacon to the waffle batter.  The maple syrup was heated up with some fresh blackberries crushed in, and more berries on top.

wiener schnitzel

This was perfect for a cold winter night.  I topped the schnitzel with a sage buerre blanc - that also went well with some asparagus.  I had some leftover mashed potatoes to heat up and add to the plate (thanks to a friend who brought me back some freshly harvested spuds from Idaho). 

pecan sea salt drops

These little jewels were mini-muffin sized pecan brittle pieces, sprinkled with sea salt. 
http://www.marthastewart.com/346958/pecan-sea-salt-drops

asparagus and eggs makes a great dinner

We first had this type of dish on our honeymoon in Italy - the kind of meal made in someone's home - and we were hooked.  Here I wrapped proscuitto around asparagus and baked it, plated it with Parmesan toast and a fried egg.  I also used up the rest of a case of holiday pears on a butter lettuce, blue cheese, pecan salad with a balsamic vinaigrette. 

lamb and roasted veggies

These grilled chops were topped with a mint pesto, which was a nicely sweet addition.  I roasted sweet potatoes, carrots and parsnips with fresh thyme, olive oil, pecans, and a bit of honey - a wonderful combination that also had sweet undertones.  This was a satisfying meal on a cold winter night.