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May 29, 2018

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.
May 28, 2018

Orange Cream Ice Pops

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

Orange Cream Popsicles

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

Coffee Cake Muffins

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

Coffee Cake Muffins

These coffee cake muffins are both topped with and filled with a cinnamon, brown sugar, and pecan streusel.
May 24, 2018

Spicy Tomato and Corn Salad

This Spicy Tomato and Corn Salad, with a lime, jalapeno, and shallot dressing, is a wonderful side dish for summer outdoor grilling.

This post is sponsored in conjunction with #BBQWeek. I received product samples from sponsors to use in creating #BBQWeek recipes. However, all opinions are mine alone.

Spicy Tomato and Corn Salad

This spicy tomato and corn salad is simple to make, and delivers such refreshing flavors.
May 22, 2018

Ricotta Chocolate Chip Cookies

These ricotta chocolate chip cookies are so soft and cake-like. They are pretty much little cakes in a cookie form.

Ricotta Chocolate Chip Cookies

While most chocolate chip cookies are either crispy or chewy, these ricotta chocolate chip cookies are tender and soft. They get this way from the ricotta cheese. It's pretty magical.
May 21, 2018

New Mexico Style Pork and Green Chile Stew

A pork stew with roasted green chiles, onions, garlic, and tomatoes with flavors that remind me of Hatch chile season.

New Mexico Style Pork and Green Chile Stew

Every summer, usually late July or early August, my favorite Mexican market roasts Hatch chiles outdoors in the front of the store. Customers can buy large bags of the fresh chiles and the store will roast them. The aroma is intoxicating.
May 20, 2018

Grilled Pork Burger with a Hawaiian-Style Bun

Grilled Pork Burger with a Hawaiian-Style Bun topped with coleslaw and dressed with Cherry Chipotle Sauce.


Grilled Pork Burger with a Hawaiian-Style Bun




This grilled pork burger is not just a burger patty made from ground pork. There's lots of good stuff in the patty, like shallots, garlic, thyme, chiles, chorizo, and bacon.
May 18, 2018

Cuban-Style Black Bean Soup {Vegan}

This Cuban-style black bean soup may look like a simple bowl of soup, but it is much more complex. The ingredient list is long, but the flavors in this soup make it worth the fuss.

Cuban-Style Black Bean Soup

Along with the black beans, this Cuban-style black bean soup is flavored with bell peppers, onions, jalapeños, garlic, cumin, oregano, and Manzanilla olives (the kind you put in martinis).
May 17, 2018

Thai-Style Shrimp Salad Sandwiches

I'm so happy with the flavors in these Thai-style shrimp salad sandwiches. The shrimp salad only takes a few minutes to make and is so easy to toss together.

Thai-Style Shrimp Salad Sandwiches

The shrimp in these Thai-style shrimp salad sandwiches are lightly dressed in a mixture of mayonnaise, shredded carrots, scallions, mint, soy sauce, lime, and sriracha.
May 16, 2018

Red Pepper Coques

These Red Pepper Coques are a wonderful Catalan-style crunchy flatbread topped with an intensely flavored mixture of red peppers, pine nuts, and sherry vinegar.

Red Pepper Coques

Coques can be found in Mediterranean Spanish tapas bars. They can be sweet or savory, but the unifying factor is a crispy crust, resembling thin crust pizza.
May 15, 2018

Thai-Style Coleslaw with Chiles, Mint, and Cilantro

This Thai-Style Coleslaw with Chiles, Mint, and Cilantro is a wonderfully light side dish. The bright flavors in this salad pair especially well with rich barbecued meats and ribs.

Thai-Style Coleslaw with Chiles, Mint, and Cilantro

The dressing for this Thai-style coleslaw is made with lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, coconut milk, and a minced serrano chile. You steep the the chile in the lime and fish sauce mixture before dressing the salad, which mellows the chile yet still preserves its flavor.
May 14, 2018

Beer Braised Carnitas

These carnitas are braised in a broth of beer flavored with garlic, bay leaf, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, and chiles.

Beer Braised Carnitas with limes

Carnitas, cut up pork shoulder braised with chiles and other spices, and then fried until crispy in their own fat, are a favorite Mexican dish, especially here in California.

Apple Tartlets with Almond Crunch

These Apple Tartlets with an Almond Crunch Topping are so elegant, and yet surprisingly easy to make.

Individual apple tarts with almond topping

These Apple Tartlets, topped with a mixture of sliced almonds, sugar, and butter that caramelizes while the tarts are baking are both sophisticated and delicious.
May 8, 2018

Seeded Ficelle Bread

Ficelle bread is kind of a cross between a breadstick and a baguette. The word ficelle means "string" in French, and typical loaves are very long and skinny. For a crust lover, the beauty of the ficelle is that the you get much higher ratio of crust to crumb. There 's just the right ratio of soft bread interior and plenty of chewy crust.

Three Seeded Ficelle Loaves

You can make ficelle with or without seeds. I went all out on the seeds, covering the loaves all over with a layer of sesame, flax, sunflower, caraway, poppy, and anise seeds. I've also made these with a combination of poppy, sesame, and fennel seeds.
May 5, 2018

Bloody Marys Three Ways

These Homemade Bloody Marys are perfect for a brunch celebration. You can set up a Bloody Mary bar with all of the different concoctions and let your guests get creative!


Heirloom tomato bloody Mary




One of my favorite Bloody Marys is made with fresh heirloom tomatoes, mostly because of the color and super fresh flavor. You just puree fresh tomatoes, add a few ingredients, and serve. You don't even have to peel the tomatoes.

May 4, 2018

Asparagus and Goat Cheese Tart

This asparagus and goat cheese tart is the perfect lunch, or when cut into smaller pieces, a delicious party appetizer.


Asparagus and Goat Cheese Tart with Olives

With a store bought puff pastry shell, this asparagus and goat cheese tart is easy to assemble and bake, yet it looks so elegant.
May 2, 2018

Shakshuka - Eggs Poached in Spicy Tomato Sauce

Shakshuka is a flavorful dish of eggs poached in a spicy tomato sauce. It's origins are North African and it is now a very popular breakfast in Israel.

This post is sponsored in conjunction with BrunchWeek. I received product samples from sponsor companies to aid in the creation of the BrunchWeek recipes. All opinions are my own.


Eggs Poached in Spicy Tomato Sauce


The spicy tomato sauce in the shakshuka (don't you love the name?) is flavored with a wonderful combination of spices. The ingredient list is long, but all of the elements in this recipe come together to make a "jump-up-and-down, I can't believe how good this is" dish.

Beef Short Rib Enchiladas with Chiles and Tomatillo Sauce

These Beef Short Rib Enchiladas with Chiles and Tomatillo Sauce are loaded with flavor. The beef short ribs are simmered for almost three hours in a stock with chiles, garlic, red wine, and lots of thyme, giving the meat a deeply rich flavor.

Beef Short Rib Enchiladas with Chiles and Tomatillo Sauce



These Beef Short Rib Enchiladas with Ancho and Hatch Chiles are made with flour tortillas rather than corn, and topped with a tomatillo and jalapeño sauce.