Egg Salad with Kale Sandwich

“Kale resembles ‘wild’ cabbage, and may be the ancestor to all of our modern common cabbage varieties.” ~Food Trivia

Egg Salad Sandwich with Kale and Red Onion

My daughter’s garden is a prolific producer of kale so I am constantly looking for new ways to use it. I try to get extra protein from hardboiled eggs, so I decided to add chopped kale to egg salad. The result was delicious as well as nutritious.

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Grilled Romaine with Blue Cheese and Cashews

“Lettuce is like conversation: It must be fresh and crisp, and so sparkling that you scarcely notice the bitter in it.” ~ C.D.Warner, 19th century

Grilled Romaine Topped with Blue Cheese Dressing and Toasted Cashews

Salads often tend to be the same old thing over and over.  Since grilled greens have become popular,  I decided to give them a try.

In honor of a delicious chopped salad that I always eat at a local restaurant, a creamy blue cheese dressing was my goal. Cambozola Black cheese was recommended.

  • “Cambozola Black Label is a Masterpiece from the German company Käserei Champignon. This gourmet cheese is a triple cream soft-ripened blue cheese that is matured in special cold cellars (cold ripened). The cheese has a unique natural gray mold on the outside and exquisite blue veining on the inside.”

This was a perfect recommendation for me because the cheese was creamy and not too pungent.

The dressed grilled romaine sprinkled with toasted cashews is a quick delicious change of pace.

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Green Tea Pound Cake with Macerated Peaches

 

“A Georgia peach, a real Georgia peach, a backyard great-grandmother’s orchard peach, is as thickly furred as a sweater, and so fluent and sweet that once you bite through the flannel, it brings tears to your eyes.” ~ Melissa Fay Greene

Green Tea Pound Cake Trifle with Peaches and Vanilla Whipped Cream

It is peach season. Here in upstate New York, it starts in late June and runs through August. The farm stands have imported Georgia peaches in June, but now we have the local white and yellow peaches. They are so delicious that I am always looking for new ways to use them.

I saw Chef David LeFevre prepare a green tea pound cake and I thought it would make a great pairing with peaches.

 

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Pina Colada Popsicles Dipped in White Chocolate

“I’m happiest when my soul is still, down in the islands with nowhere to go and nowhere to be.” ~ Kenney Chesney

I know that I have been fixated on ice cream lately , but tis the season.  Recently, the wine and liquor warehouse that I shop at had a tasting for Kenny Chesney’s new line of Blue Chair Bay Rums. I tasted the Bay Coconut and thought it was amazing because it had a great coconut flavor without being overly sweet.

I decided to make grownup Popsicles for my weekend guests using this rum. They were so delicious and perfect for the summer season.

Pina Colada Popsicles

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Coffee Ice Cream

“I doubt whether the world holds for anyone a more soul-stirring surprise than the first adventure with ice cream.” ~ Heywood C. Broun

Dairy Free Coffee Ice Cream

For people with milk allergies or intolerance to dairy products, the joy of eating ice cream is something they really miss. Additionally, there are many people who have chosen to eliminate dairy products for a variety of other reasons. If you are one of these individuals, a new cookbook by Kelly Brozyna entitled Dairy Free Ice Cream is a purchase you must make.

As Kelly states in her cookbook, she wanted to make the creamiest, most divine ice cream while keeping it healthy and allergen free. Her recipes are fabulous and they are made without eggs, gluten, soy or refined sugar.  Her photos make you wish you could reach in with a spoon to taste each and every flavor!

Coffee ice cream

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Salmon and Avocado BLTs

 

“Roll out those lazy, hazy crazy days of summer. Those days of soda and pretzels and beer” ~ C. Tobias, H. Carste

Open- Faced Salmon and Avocado BLTs

It’s summer time, when it is nice to have easy, healthy delicious meals. This sandwich meets all those requirements.

Salmon and Avocado BLTs

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Mexican Chocolate Popsicles with a Dark Chocolate Shell

“When he sings, it makes my heart melt like a Popsicle on the Fourth of July!” ~ The Little Rascals

Mexican Chocolate Dipped Popsicles

Most of us have fond memories of the ice cream truck that rang its way through our neighborhoods when we were children. My favorite treat was the fudge Popsicle. My love of chocolate started very early.

Recently, my niece and her family visited. Since she has two young boys, I thought it would be fun to make popsicles for them. They had fun dipping them and adding fun sprinkles.
Dipping popsicles

 

 

 

 

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Vegetable Chow Mein

“Tomatoes and oregano make it Italian; Wine and tarragon make it French; Sour cream makes it Russian; Lemon and cinnamon make it Greek; Soy sauce makes it Chinese; Garlic makes it good..” ~Alice May Brock

Cheat’n Chow Mein

There has been a lot of talk about zucchini pasta on food shows and blogs lately. It is a great way to cut carbs and get your vegetable servings at the same time. I purchased a spiral vegetable slicer, however there are other ways that you can create vegetable strands. Check out this post on Food 52.

My sister told me about the “pasta” in a chow mein recipe that was discussed on an episode of The Doctors television show.  She loved the dish.

I served it  as a side to grilled chicken. My great nephew Abraham was a willing hand model for this photo.

 

Vegetable Chow Mein

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Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

“Pie makes everybody happy.” ~ Laurie H. Anderson, The Impossible Knife of Memory

Art Smith’s Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

I think that Strawberry Rhubarb Pie for many is a flavor that needs to be cultivated. That is not the case for me, since I love the combination of sweet and tart that is typical of this wonderful pie.

My uncle always had a rhubarb patch that he was willing to share with anyone that loved this vegetable. Yes rhubarb is a vegetable, but that is another story.

When he passed away, I decided that I wanted my own patch of rhubarb. As the glorious red stalks started to grow from the ground of my garden, I was anticipating this delicious pie.

 

rhubarb from my garden
Art Smith’s recipe for Strawberry Rhubarb Pie is an amazing dessert. Whenever I serve this pie, the results are always beyond expectation.

 

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French Toast with Rye Bread and Bourbon Cherries

“Making French toast with quick bread is a bit indulgent, but some weekend mornings call for a little more of an extravagant breakfast.” ~ Erin Alderson

Swedish Rye Bread French Toast with Bourbon Cherries

My last post shared Erin Alderson’s Swedish rye quick bread. This post is the delicious follow up for an extravagant yet easy weekend breakfast. I served it to company, and everyone had big smiles on their face.

So over this long holiday weekend, enjoy this delicious recipe.

 

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