Cinnamon Ice Cream

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream! With summer in full swing, this is a must have for dessert. So I made my own. I am not sure if it's Spanish or not, but it was sure fantastic, and I didn't use an ice cream maker!

Gazpacho

I seem to have been on a soup kick of late. What better way to continue that as the mercury rises than by having cold soup for International night as a pre-course to my paella. Like the paella I looked at several different recipes before deciding on one to use, and even then I completely disregarded some parts of it and added other things. The thing that will make the biggest single difference in my opinion is the ripeness of the tomatoes. Mine were from the farmer's market and were so fresh and flavorful. Find some for yourself and try this recipe. It's great!

Chicken and Shrimp Paella

I was inspired by my father-in-law's trip to Spain and so I decided that this month's international night had to also be Spain. With that in mind, the only thing I really thought was appropriate as a main dish was paella (pronounced pie-eh-ya for those who didn't take Spanish in school). It seemed a little complicated and complex, but in the end, it was pretty simple and delicious. The husband even wants me to make it again!

Blueberry Streusel Coffee Cake

What do you do if you find yourself living in the South during the summer with local blueberry growers in your midst? You buy blueberries!And then you use them in whatever you want. You can add them to salad, sangria, pancakes, make a fruit salad or just eat them straight. I didn't know what to do, but I was thinking breakfast. I finally settled on a blueberry Streusel Coffee Cake, to which my husband agreed.

I searched through a lot of recipes and finally decided to half this one from the Taste of Home Kitchen. It was one of the shows I watched as I lay on my couch in pain after sinus surgery. It's where I heard of the tunnel of fudge cake. So I had confidence in the source, you might say. I'm glad I did, because this started off a anniversary weekend on a sweet note.

Hawaiin Mahi Mahi

One of the best things about living close to the coast is the ability to get fresh fish. We have a local seafood stand that drives the 1.5 hours on the weekend with the stuff they caught this week. There is nothing better than a wonderfully-cooked  piece of fresh fish (in my humble opinion). When I saw they had Mahi Mahi, I had to stop and get some.

I wasn't planning on sharing this, but after trying an interesting recipe, I was so pleased with the result, I had to post it.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

When you have an intense craving for chocolate, you really have to fulfill it. Well, at least I do. Ignoring it or putting it aside never really works out for. Now granted, I end up paying for it when I go to the gym next. And it is handy that I have a husband whose metabolism hasn't caught up with him yet, so he just eats endlessly, limiting the amount of food I eat.

But last Thursday, all I could do was look up recipes until I found "the one." Then I had to make these.

Farmer's Market

On Thursday, my neighbor and I made the one-hour trip to Raleigh to visit the 7-days-a-week, year-round farmer's market. Please don't misunderstand. I've been to many farmer's markets and road-side stands. I know how good that kind of produce is. I picked my own strawberries twice this strawberry season (and woefully forgot to take photos). But this was a veritable cornucopia of fresh, delicious produce and other fantastic things that I wish were closer. I tried the best tomatoes I have ever had, not to mention the best blueberries and peaches. All will be eaten this weekend and posted soon.

If you have not been to a good farmer's market (I was not really given the privilege until moving to the Carolinas where there are things other than ranches) and one is close, go. It will blow your mind. Peppers that smelled like a pepper without cutting into it. Fresh flowers, organic soap... But I digress. I leave you with these beautiful photos, which I did not edit, in hopes that they will lure you to a farmer's market in your area soon!

Roasted Peppers

As I start to learn some basic, simple parts of recipes, I feel the need to share them. I mean, now that I know how, roasting a pepper seems more of an inconvenience to be time managed than an intimidating proposition.
So I think I am going to start a new section of my recipes page for basics, such as roasting peppers or garlic, the difference between chopping and dicing, things like that. None of these things is hard, but I remember how daunting these tasks seemed to me, and if I can help someone else cook, then I think l have accomplished.
There is not much better than a home-cooked, healthy meal shared by the whole family. Besides, oh faithful readers, when you impress your dinner guests with your homemade roasted red peppers in your chicken roulade, feel proud. Few people can really cook from scratch anymore. So I want to help. If I can do it, anyone can. Anyway, on to roasted peppers.



Lots of things call for roasted peppers, usually red ones because of their beautiful color. The only difference between red, orange and green peppers is the amount of time they are allowed to sit on the stem and ripen. There are some species of bell peppers that are yellow without going through a green phase, but they are less common.
So, because I did not want to spend three times as much for practically the same pepper, I use green peppers by and large. Roasting them is a breeze, a warm one, but a breeze none the less.

Lentil Soup

We had Thanksgiving with our neighbors, and while channeling our inner Martha Stewart, we decorated candles with different kinds of beans using a double-sided tape. I must admit, i usually do not cook with beans and I picked these beans for their aesthetics more than their possible culinary uses. I was fortunate to have my leftover beans be something I could and was excited about using.

While i have never had Lentil Soup before, I found a recipe that sounded good and was well reviewed on epicurious.com and decided to make it. All I can say is yum!

Butternut Squash Soup

My neighbor made me soup last fall, and it was the first time I had and absolutely loved a homemade soup. What can I say, she's a maven in he kitchen. It probably doesn't hurt that she's an Army brat who spent her last 8 years with her (still!) active duty father in Germany. Note the slight hint of jealousy. But this soup, even in the summer heat, is delicious! I highly recommend it if you are looking for something a little different from the norm. Can I say that she got the recipe in a book that was a gift at a bridal shower? It contained recipes from all the women in her family. How sweet and special! So now we are sharing a Smith family recipe (yes that's there real last name, and no I don't think it will get me in trouble).

Tunnel of Fudge Cake - No nuts

I had surgery on my sinuses in 2009. Apparently I was allergic to everything native to our beautiful North Carolina. Now my enlarged sinus cavity can handle the pollen onslaught that happens every spring. My mother flew out and picked me up after surgery and handled my angry and drugged rants. Being in pain and having to wait 2 hours for my pain meds with cotton shoved up my nose is not the way I wish anyone to spend their weekend. She was so sweet.
But she has a job and other children still at home who need her. So when she left, I was at home laying on the couch watching PBS. America's test kitchen came on. It was awesome. They showed a cake called Tunnel of Fudge cake. It's an ooey gooey fudge bundt cake. It had one flaw ... nuts.
Nuts are typically used to help baked goods retain their moisture. I don't know how that works, but I knew that removing the nuts would probably lead to a cake that was just not quite done in the middle instead of tunnel of fudge-y.
Fast forward a year and a half and I found a recipe for a nut-less recipe! Angels sang and the heavans rejoiced, or at least I did. So, I made it.