Potato Soup with Fried Almonds

This potato soup with fried almonds gets its creaminess from the Yukon Gold potatoes, which seem to melt into the broth.

This potato and fried almond soup is actually pretty light, but tastes so rich and hearty. The almonds in the soup are fried with garlic and then ground before adding them to the soup while it is simmering. The soup is also flavored with prosciutto or Serrano ham and a bit of saffron.

Sicilian Tuna Salad Sandwich on Homemade Italian-Style Bread

This Sicilian Tuna Salad Sandwich will have you dreaming of picnics in the islands of southern Italy. Pack this sandwich, a bottle of wine, a blanket, and a corkscrew, and find a spot on the beach or a park to enjoy the remains of summer.

This Sicilian Tuna Salad Sandwich is a fun and unique way to prepare tuna salad.

Blueberry Brioche Coffee Cake

This Blueberry Brioche Coffee Cake is made with layers of no knead brioche dough and homemade blueberry jam.

The brioche dough for this coffee cake is so easy to make. You mix it in a three quart container with a dough whisk or a large spoon and then let it rise in the refrigerator for up to five days. This recipe will make one coffee cake plus a small loaf of bread.

Pain d'Epi - French Wheat Stalk Bread - Happy Birthday Julia!

Pain d'Epi, or wheat stalk bread, is a classic French bread shape. You shape the dough into a baguette, let it rise, and then snip it with scissors to create the wheat stalk look.

Making epi bread is one of those methods that is so easy, but looks so professional. As a friend recently said, "you even look at them afterward and think "did I do that?"

Jalapeño and Cheddar Bagels | #BreadBakers

These Jalapeño and Cheddar Bagels are so chewy and delicious, and the crust is super crispy and cheesy. These bagels are also filled with more cheese as well as chopped jalapeño chiles.

When it comes to bagels, I love trying new methods for creating chewy boiled New York style bagels.

Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato Salad {B.L.T. Style Salad}

This bacon, lettuce, and tomato salad takes all of the ingredients from the classic B.L.T sandwich, and turns them into a delicious salad.

This B.L.T. Style Salad would be wonderful as either a starter for dinner, or a main course for lunch with some chopped avocado. You could even add croutons to the salad to capture all of the ingredients of a B.L.T. sandwich.

Peppermint Patty Brownie Bites

These Peppermint Patty Brownie Bites stuffed with York Peppermint Patties are such a fun treat!

Peppermint Patties are on my list of favorite candies. Chocolate and mint are pretty much a perfect paring.

Roasted Onion Dip with Radishes and Potato Chips

This Roasted Onion Dip will change your mind about onion dip. It's made with slow-roasted onions and garlic and mixed with Greek yogurt. This onion dip is a game changer.

This onion dip is just about the most incredible dip you will ever have. I know there's a lot of hyperbole in that statement, but I stand by it. This onion dip is gooooood! This is not your grandma's sour cream and Lipton onion soup dip (not that there's anything wrong with it).

Pasta with Zucchini, Summer Squash, and Sausage

This Pasta with Zucchini, Summer Squash, and Sausage is so easy and delicious. The zucchini and summer squash take on the flavors of the hot Italian sausage, as does the pasta, which is tossed in the flavorful oil from the cooked sausage.

This sautéed zucchini and pasta with sausage is wonderful hot, fresh from the pan. It's also tasty at room temperature, as a potluck side dish.

Zucchini and Onion Quiche

This cheesy zucchini quiche is loaded with freshly harvested onions and zucchini, the bounty of summer that you can find at farmer's markets right now.

This zucchini and sweet onion quiche is also super cheesy. I used Gruyère in this quiche, but you can use any good melty cheese such as Swiss, Emmental, Monterey Jack, or mozzarella.

Mexican Street Corn Salad

This Mexican Street Corn Salad takes the flavors from the grilled corn (elotes) slathered in a mixture of mayonnaise, cotija cheese, chili, and lime sold by street vendors in Mexico (and here in parts of Los Angeles) and incorporates them into a delicious salad.

This Mexican Street Corn Salad is from the new Simply Vegetarian Cookbook by my friend Susan Pridmore of The Wimpy Vegetarian, and I'm totally thrilled to participate in her virtual blog party to launch her first cookbook. I hope I do her proud.

Cheesy Zucchini Sandwich Bread

This cheesy zucchini sandwich bread is not your usual zucchini bread. First, it's a yeasted bread, and second, it's loaded with onions and cheddar cheese.

This zucchini bread makes amazing toast, and is the perfect bread for grilled cheese sandwiches and tuna melts.

Watermelon Lemonade Sorbet

This watermelon lemonade sorbet has all of the flavors of a childhood summer... ripe and juicy watermelon, and sweet and tart lemonade.

This watermelon lemon sorbet is icy and tart/sweet, and totally refreshing. It's wonderful scooped into a bowl and eaten with abandon in this hot and humid weather.

El Diablo Cocktail

The El Diablo Cocktail, made with tequila, crème de cassis, lime, and ginger beer, is an easy and refreshing way to enjoy cocktail hour on a hot summer day.

You can control the strength of the el diablo cocktail by adding more or less of the ginger beer (or good ginger ale if you prefer), depending on the weather and how thirsty your guests are.

Rhubarb-Ginger Muffins with Rhubarb Streusel | #MuffinMonday

These Rhubarb-Ginger Muffins with Rhubarb Streusel are a wonderful way to use rhubarb, a beautifully colored sweet/tart vegetable.

Buttermilk and sour cream add richness to these rhubarb muffins, and the ginger, nutmeg, and vanilla play so nicely with the rhubarb. The Rhubarb vanilla bean streusel adds a wonderful crust on top.

Greek-Style Watermelon and Tomato Salad

This Greek-Style Watermelon and Tomato Salad with cucumbers, red onions, kalamata olives, and feta cheese is the perfect salad for a summer evening.

This Greek-style watermelon and tomato salad is such refreshing summer dish. The sweetness of the watermelon and the saltiness of the kalamata olives are unexpectedly delicious together. This salad is also flavored with fresh parsley and mint, and drizzled with olive oil and good red wine vinegar.

Slow Cooker Lasagna Soup

This Slow Cooker Lasagna Soup tastes just like your favorite Italian layered casserole, but with less than half of the calories.

This Crock-Pot Lasagna Soup includes hot Italian sausage, marinara sauce, lasagne noodles broken into pieces, and a topping of ricotta mixed with parmesan and parsley.

Lemon Buttermilk Sheet Cake | #TheCakeSliceBakers

This lemon buttermilk sheet cake is so soft and tender, and it's loaded with the sweet/tart flavor of lemon.

The cake itself contains three tablespoons of lemon zest and 1/4 cup of lemon juice, making it super lemony. You actually beat the lemon zest and the sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer to release the lemon flavor in the zest. Some of this sugary lemon zest is reserved to sprinkle over the delicious glaze on this cake, and the rest is beaten into the butter until the mixture is light and fluffy.

Thai-Style Catfish Burgers

Thai-Style Catfish Burgers with Shrimp and flavored with shallots, chiles, lime, ginger, and garlic served wrapped in tender lettuce and garnished with basil, mint, and cilantro.

I love the Thai flavors in these Catfish Burgers. They are so fresh and light. The burgers are held together by a mousse of shrimp, seasoning, and an egg white. No breading. The trick is to keep everything cold when preparing the patties so that they hold together while cooking.

New England Hot Dog Buns

I've always been curious about New England Style Hot Dog Buns. What makes them unique is that they stand up straight and are filled from the top, and the sides are buttered and grilled.

These New England hot dog buns are also famously used for lobster rolls and other seafood salad sandwiches.

Grilled Teriyaki Pork Kebabs

Grilled Teriyaki Pork Kebabs with pineapple, peppers, and red onions flavored with homemade teriyaki sauce and grilled to perfection.

The pork for these grilled teriyaki pork kebabs is marinated in a teriyaki sauce that is deeply flavored with nine ingredients, and then grilled, brushed with more reserved sauce, and sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds and scallions. They are totally delicious.

Olive Tapenade Deviled Eggs

These Olive Tapenade Deviled Eggs are one of my favorite ways to enjoy hard boiled eggs.

Deviled Eggs were probably my first official introduction to appetizers. In my family, someone always brought a tray for Christmas Eve dinner every year. The trouble with deviled eggs is that you could pretty much ruin your dinner because they are so delicious.

Singing Hinnies {Griddle Scones from Northern England}

Singing Hinnies are a traditional griddle cake from Northumberland in northern England. They are typically made with flour, butter, lard, salt, baking powder, milk, and dried currants.

How did Singing Hinnies get their name? 

Hinnie is supposed to be a term of endearment (like "honey") in the dialect of the region, and "singing" is supposed to represent the sound they make as they are cooking on the griddle.

Fougasse with Olives and Rosemary (Provençal Bread)

This fougasse with olives and rosemary is a chewy, crispy, and flavorful rustic bread with an open crumb. If your favorite part of artisan bread is the crust, you will love fougasse.

Fougasse is one of the breads of Provence, in the south of France. It's a crusty yeasted flatbread that is often shaped like a leaf, with cuts to create openings in the bread. The dough is similar to baguette dough, and the interior is airy like a baguette but just flatter and with more crust! It's also much easier and less stressful to shape.

Senbei - Japanese Rice Crackers with Furikake {Gluten Free} | #BreadBakers

Japanese rice crackers, or Senbei, are super crispy crackers that are both salty and sweet, and exceptionally crunchy.

These senbei, made with nori furikake, a seaweed rice seasoning, and glazed with soy and mirin (a sweet Japanese rice wine), are completely compelling. They have a flavor that kind of reminds you of sushi, because of the Nori Furikake incorporated into the dough.

Grilled Summer Vegetable Gazpacho

This grilled summer vegetable gazpacho is loaded with tomatoes, red onions, and zucchini, all grilled before creating this delicious cold soup. It's thickened with a little bit of bread, and flavored with red wine vinegar and garlic, and garnished with parsley.

This grilled summer vegetable gazpacho is wonderful for this time of year when all of your friends who are backyard farmers are trying to unload their extra vegetables. Plus, it's so delicious.

Air Fryer Cheesy Summer Vegetable Tart

This air fryer cheesy vegetable tart is wonderful with summer vegetables such as zucchini, pattypan squash, egg plant, tomatoes, and crook neck squash.

This cheesy vegetable tart, along with a salad, is a wonderful lunch for 3 to 4 people.

For the vegetables, I used a small trombetta squash from my cousin's garden along with a small tomato. The trombetta is so sweet and fresh tasting. My cousin's hobby is suburban farming, and she is incredible. I'm so fortunate to be a recipient of the bounty of her garden.

Chocolate Bread Ice Cream Sundaes

Chocolate Bread Ice Cream Sundaes made with layers of homemade yeasted chocolate bread, cookies and cream ice cream, and whipped cream, and topped with a maraschino cherry.

The chocolate bread in this chocolate bread ice cream sundae is different in that it is a yeasted bread. It's not like a cake or a quick bread, and it's much more firm and "bread-like."

Korean-Style Fried Chicken Wings

These Korean Fried Chicken Wings are double fried and then tossed in a sweet and spicy sauce. They are exceptionally crispy and jump-up-and-down delicious.

Korean Fried Chicken (or KFC) is hugely popular here where I live. It's a chicken that is double fried to ensure that it's totally crispy, and then tossed in a sauce of ketchup, brown rice syrup, gochujang, and vinegar.

Chipotle Lime Chicken Wings

These chipotle lime chicken wings make a hearty appetizer or a delicious main course. They are easy to make, and require very little hands on time.

These chipotle chicken wings are spicy and smoky, thanks to canned chopotle chiles in adobo sauce. Chipotles in adobo are actually dried chiles canned in a sweet-ish sauce, and they add so much flavor to lots of dishes. I like to puree the contents of the can and keep it in the fridge to add to scrambled eggs, bloody Marys, and quesadillas.

Grilled Shish Kebabs with Rosemary, Mint, Garlic, and Lemon

These grilled Shish Kebabs are marinated with Rosemary, Mint, Garlic, and Lemon and then finished with a garlic and Parmesan butter glaze.

I've always loved grilled lamb with garlic and rosemary. I've also always loved shish kebabs. To combine these favorites, I thought I'd try making skewered lamb and vegetables with the the flavors of garlic and rosemary, along with mint and lemon.

Grilled Chicken Chopped Salad with Duck Bacon and Buttermilk Blue Cheese Dressing

Grilled chicken, bacon, tomatoes, corn, and hearts of romaine tossed together with a delicious buttermilk blue cheese dressing.

I loved this grilled chicken chopped salad with bacon and blue cheese. It takes just about 30 minutes from start to finish to make. Possibly because the chicken is thinly sliced before grilling, it's not dried out, and the char adds a wonderful dimension of flavor. Before it's grilled, the chicken is rubbed with a garlic paste. It's about the tastiest boneless skinless chicken breast I've ever had.

Grilled Scallop Kebabs with Duck Bacon

You must try these grilled scallop kebabs and duck bacon with a finishing glaze of soy and oyster sauce served with grilled vegetable kebabs of corn, zucchini, and red onions.

These grilled scallop kebabs with duck bacon are so sweet and succulent. Duck bacon you ask? Oh my yes!

Grilled Crostini Four Ways

Grilled crostini topped with four different toppings after toasting on the grill. This is fabulous as an appetizer or bread course for an outdoor party.

These grilled crostini have something for everyone. Two of the toppings require putting together a few ingredients, but they can be prepared in advance. The other two toppings require very little preparation, and help round out your appetizer platter.

Chile and Raspberry Muffins | #MuffinMonday

Chile and raspberry muffins: Roasted Anaheim chiles and fresh raspberries in a buttermilk muffin.

These chile and raspberry muffins with roasted Anaheim chiles were such a delicious surprise. The combination of the fresh raspberries and the roasted chilies is unexpectedly delicious.

Yang Chow Fried Rice with Grilled Duck | Welcome to #CookoutWeek

Yang Chow Fried Rice, also known as Yangzhou fried rice, is a traditional dish from the Chinese province of the same name. It is often served at the end of a banquet.

This Yang Chow fried rice is a little different than this really simple version with just rice, ham, and shrimp. It's still a simple dish, in that there are not a lot of hard to find ingredients, but this version includes a cool "gold-covered silver" technique for stir-frying the rice, where the rice is coated with egg with a circular stirring technique. This makes the rice super light and fluffy. Check out the recipe for the method.

Poached Cod in Saffron Broth with Spanish-Style Chorizo

Cod poached in a saffron broth with chorizo and potatoes is an easy one-pan dinner that is ready in an hour.

This cod in saffron broth with Spanish-style chorizo and potatoes is loaded with delicious flavors. The mild fish and potatoes are balanced with the spicy sausage, and the saffron broth is both gorgeous and delicious.

Jalapeño Corn Cakes

Jalapeño Corn Cakes, pancakes made with cornmeal and filled with fresh corn kernels and minced jalapeño.

These jalapeño corn cakes, filled with fresh off the cob corn kernels, are so easy to make and take advantage of all of the wonderful fresh corn available this time of the year.

Blueberry, Pecan, and Citrus Zest Pain au Levain

This Pain au Levain, or sourdough bread, is filled with dried blueberries, pecans, and tangelo zest.

This recipe for Blueberry, Pecan, and Citrus Zest Pain au Levain takes over two days to make, but most of that time is hands off, and the long slow rise in the refrigerator really develops flavor.

Mexican-Style Corn Chowder with Red and Black Beans

Mexican corn chowder with jalapeños, chili, and red and black beans, and topped with Mexican crema, cotija, and cilantro.

This Mexican-style corn chowder makes the most of the delicious fresh corn available this time of year.

Salmon and Potato Salad with a Creamy Chive and Horseradish Dressing

This salmon and potato salad is tossed in a creamy dressing of sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice, chive, and horseradish.

The salad is fresh and creamy, tossed in a bright and refreshing dressing. The combination of salmon and potatoes reminds me of a Norwegian salmon and potato casserole a friend introduced me to years ago.

Cheesy Kale, Tomato, and Chile Focaccia | #BreadBakers

Cheesy Kale, Tomato, and Chile Focaccia. Light and airy, studded with pockets of mozzarella cheese and topped with cherry tomatoes and jalapeño chiles.

I made this focaccia with an 80 percent hydration dough, which I let rise overnight in the refrigerator. You can actually keep this dough in the refrigerator for up to four days before baking, which is wonderful for developing the best flavor.

Roasted Asparagus with Bacon and Parmesan

Roasted Asparagus with Bacon. Roasted asparagus. Bacon. In the world of vegetables, this recipe is pretty spectacular.

Spring is the season for asparagus. While you can get asparagus year round, the best, and freshest asparagus from local sources comes in the spring.

Spinach, Ham, and Cheese Puff Pastry Bites

Spinach, ham, and cheese puff pastry bites, a savory and flaky appetizer that doesn't even really need a recipe.

These spinach, ham, and cheese puff pastry bites can be assembled in advance and popped into the oven when your guests arrive. They can also be made in advance and reheated. They are so versatile!

Shaved Asparagus Pizza with Brie | #FoodieExtravaganza

Shaved asparagus pizza topped with Brie, garlic, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and nearly a pound of asparagus that you have thinly shredded with a vegetable peeler.

This pizza is topped with a lot of asparagus, to the point where you will question whether there is just too much. You'll discover that the shaved asparagus shrinks down and becomes sweet and crispy after roasting until it's "just right."

Vietnamese-Style Pork and Shrimp Spring Rolls with Cucumber and Mint (Gòi Cuôn)

Vietnamese-Style Pork and Shrimp Spring Rolls with Cucumber and Mint: a take on the fresh and flavorful rolls made of rice paper filled with a protein, rice noodles. herbs, and vegetables.

These Vietnamese-Style Pork and Shrimp Spring Rolls with Cucumber and Mint are so light and flavorful. They are like little burritos but without the calories. They are typically made of thin rice paper wrapped around a packet of rice vermicelli, some sprouts, a protein, raw vegetables, and herbs such as basil, mint, and cilantro.

Dill and White Cheddar Sourdough Bread

This dill and white cheddar sourdough bread combines two of my favorite flavors, herby fresh dill, and nutty, creamy white cheddar.

This dill and white cheddar bread is such a savory treat. We loved slicing and eating it without any adornment on the day it was baked. It's also excellent toasted and buttered the next day. It's also fabulous served with soup.

Sangria Slushies

Sangria Slushies: Fruity red wine, brandy, strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries frozen and blended into frosty summer treat.

These sangria slushies can be served as an aperitif or as a dessert. They are also perfect for a lazy summer afternoon on the patio, as long as you have no intention to be productive the rest of the day.

Orange Cream Ice Pops

These Orange Cream Ice Pops are like an Orange Julius, but in a popsicle form.

These orange cream ice pops also remind me of Creamsicles, but without the ice cream center.

Coffee Cake Muffins | #MuffinMonday

Coffee Cake Muffins with cinnamon, pecans, and streusel, all of the flavors from your favorite coffee cake in a portable muffin.

These coffee cake muffins are both topped with and filled with a cinnamon, brown sugar, and pecan streusel.