Smokey Buffalo Burgers with Roasted Poblanos & Avocado

I have a working theory that it is impossible to leave Costco without twice as many items as were on your list. You may walk in with the good intention of only purchasing almonds, greek yogurt, and a roast chicken, but inevitably chewing gum, toilet paper, and an 10 pound block of cheese end up in that oversized cart. The solution is simple: If you're going to impulse buy in bulk, be sure you get the good stuff...such as lean and mean ground buffalo.

Cheddar & Chive Zucchini Gratin

My very favorite thing about zucchini is its versatility.  Grilled, sliced or shredded, it's a great addition to practically practically any savory or sweet dish.  But from time to time, it's important to remember this veggie is flippin' fabulous all on its own and it deserves the full spotlight every now and again.  Particularly when that light comes with panko and cheese.....yum.

Chimichurri Turkey Burgers with Avocado

I have always been a sucker for condiments.  Ketchup, barbecue sauce, pickled jalapenos, tomato relish, pesto, creamed honey...if you can spread it, I can overindulge.  Where most would be happy with a tablespoon or so, it seems I always need about a quarter cup to satisfy my craving.  This is also the reason I hoard emptied food jars like a crazy person...it seems there are always more sauces like this delightful chimichurri that need to stored. 

Cherry Tomato, Zucchini & Brie Pasta

Cherry tomato season is finally upon us!  May the feasting commence!!!  Ever since I was a little girl picking veggies in our family garden, I have looked forward to the first fresh tomatoes of the year with the same anticipation most people reserve Black Friday.  (Red...Wednesday?  Why not!)  Now my hubs is pretty darn terrific.  Sure I've mentioned his culinary talents and yes, he is now officially a doctor.  But there's a lot more to my man than that.  For instance, he is also an avid reader, loves kids and has a die-hard fanbase in the online world of Tetris.  But last week he topped the cake by bringing me the very first ripe tomato from our rooftop community garden.  That's one heck of a man.

Pea, Prosciutto & Parmesan Risotto with Seared Scallops

It's March, meaning enough time has passed since New Year's for a truly rich and decadent dish.  I always try to hold out on these for a while, my attempt to assist all you resolutioners out there to turn those shining ideas into habitual healthy choices.  But I seriously cannot wait any longer to share this one.  The starter crops of fresh asparagus and peas are just too tempting for this veggie-lover to resist.  And in case those don't float your boat, how about tons of parmesan cheese and savory prosciutto?  Or oodles of creamy risotto?  Yeah, now I have your attention.

Mediterranean Chicken Phyllo Cups

There are two things that I love about being invited to a dinner party.  First, I don't have to clean the house.  Second, I don't have to worry about the main course.  Don't get me wrong, I absolutely adore having people come over whom I get to feed.  But there's a delightful ease to being a guest...the host assigns you to appetizer/vegetable/dessert duty and all you have to do is take your assignment and run with it.  It's a great time to try new dishes, knowing the weight of the meal doesn't rest alone on your shoulders.  So when the hubs and I were assigned to appetizer duty for a dinner party last night, I was tickled Greek.  Literally.

Roasted Beet, Kale & Quinoa Salad w/ Goat Cheese & Almonds

I have an affinity for neglected vegetables.  Celery root, jicama, dragon tongue beans...whatever it may be, please pass them my way and I'll see to it that they are eaten.  My newest favorite: beets.  Pickled or roasted, greens or bulbs, I cannot get enough of this fantastic little root.  And once I accidentally discovered they keep for practically ever in the refrigerator, we've been having bi-weekly roastings to tide us over on the weekdays.  And this salad is my current go-to dish for these delicious red beauties.

Sausage & Sweet Potato Biscuit Breakfast Sandwich

This breakfast is brought to you by crazy delicious biscuits.  Fricking awesome biscuits that were so good at Thanksgiving, they made a second appearance at Christmas dinner and have booked a spot at New Year's, too.  Biscuits so good that they could not be confined to the dinner table, transitioning to breakfast with the simple additions of egg, turkey sausage and cheese.  Oh yes....I love me a breakfast sandwich, but especially when made with these delicious sweet potato rosemary biscuits.

Lamb & Barley Stew w/ White Beans & Feta

Last week, we had our first snow of the year.  Sure, it was a measly dusting that only lasted two days, but the hubs and I still made the most of it.  Flames danced in the fireplace, the pups built snuggly dens in blankets on the couch and the scent of hot apple cider filled our entire apartment.  When the weather gets cold, it's time to get cozy.  And nothing says "cozy" like a hearty stew.  Particularly if your stew is a rich, decadent concoction of lamb, goat cheese and rosemary.  I mean, come on now.

Grilled Cheese Sticks w/ Apple Butter Dipping Sauce

There is nothing quite like a toasty grilled cheese sandwich on a crisp autumn afternoon.  It is one of those classic fall meals that transcends all generations.  My mormor always served hers with a side of ketchup, my mom with homemade tomato basil soup.  And chances are you have your own favorite variation in your household.  Man those two make quite a pair.  But along with a love of tomatoes, my mother passed down another favorite pairing with sharp cheddar...apples.  Be it raw granny smiths or hot apple pie, there is nothing quite like the sweet and salty combo of cheddar and apples.

Fresh Tomato Salami Pizza

Pizza pizza.  Call me Little Caesar, cuz I love a good pie.  So surprise, I have yet another one to share with you.  Not too fancy shmancy, but darn good and extra sneaky.  Yes, a sneaky little pizza.  Why, might you ask?  Because of all the veggie goodness hiding inside.  Et tu, Brute?  Yes my friends, always and forever, for vegetables belong on pizza.  Especially zucchini, which is practically sprouting out of my ears at this point.  Remember that veggie box from a few weeks back? Welp, here is another meal inspired by the bounty inside.

Grilled Polenta Watermelon Squares with Goat Cheese & Salsa Verde

Have you seen the melon at the market lately?!  I mean woah.  It's enough to make a foodie loose her melon mind.  We've been plowing through our share of this year's crop  with frothy lassis, cold soups and wedges cut as wide as a six year-old's smile.  But when we have a tapas night, I always go to for these little bites.  A little quirky, super tasty and darn cute on a plate, these Grilled Polenta Watermelon squares are a wonderfully refreshing amuse-bouche for a summer evening.

Artichoke Avocado Pesto Mini-Pizza

With all the beautiful summer produce available, you'd never think that a foodie like me would be distracted by the pantry.  But alas, this is indeed the case.  I have been absolutely obsessing over canned artichoke hearts lately.  Munching them here, there and everywhere is my new favorite past time.  And it seems I'm not alone in this obsession.  Ever since I saw this delicious recipe for couscous where artichokes stood in for the typical cucumber, I have happily joined the subbing bandwagon.  But out of all the dishes I've tried and created, the best by far is this slamming Artichoke Avocado Pesto Pizza.  Beautiful to look at and even better to eat, this little pizza is green goddess perfection.

Grilled Chicken Cornbread with Peaches & Pepper Jack

So the hubs was out of town last week, which meant I really got to play in the kitchen.  Perhaps it's the fact that we're still pretty-newlyweds, but I usually try to stick with dishes that he will enjoy throughout the week.  Granted, he gives me a pretty wide berth with things like Watermelon Habanero Gazpacho and Pesto Pomegranate Pasta.  But when he goes out of town, I tend to get even wackier.  Why not have an artichoke white wine sauce with my turkey meatballs?  Sure I'll try a goat cheese, strawberry and asparagus breakfast burrito.  (For the record, both of those were delicious.)  But one of my little creations absolutely took the cake last week!  Or should I say cornbread?  This will be recreated for the hubs without a doubt.

BLAT! Burgers

BLAT!  That's what my husband yelled right after I told him we here having bacon, lettuce, avocado and tomato burgers for dinner one evening.  No, we do not live in a Batman comic strip...this is just a typical evening conversation in our kitchen (be lucky he didn't rap it for this would be a very different post).  Needless to say, the name was catchy and stuck - POW! - to this recipe.  BLAT! Burgers are now the handy sidekick in our most daring, death-defying and debauched action movie nights.

Brie Stuffed Mushrooms & Joe's Barbecue Corn

The hubs and I have been working on emptying out the freezer for a while.  He also had quite the hankering for ribs a month ago.  In an ingenious negotiations tactic, I promised him that once we ate through the last of the pot stickers, pulled pork and sweet potato fries that I would make a rack of ribs.  I could kick myself for not trying this stratagem sooner.  Ribs are the perfect man-motivator for just about anything under the summer sun.  Before I knew it, he was attacking all leftovers, remnants and rainy day reserves with the same enthusiasm the pups reserves for her hickory-scented rawhide.  Within two weeks, I was carting home a full rack and the fixins for some superb sides.  But not just any ol' sides....some manly grillin' sides.

Birthday Week! Red Wine Risotto & Peanut Butter Pup Cake

The first week in June is very important in our household.  After Thanksgiving and Christmas, it's the most anticipated week of the year.  It's Birthday Week!  On the first we celebrate our pups, while the fifth is devoted to the hubs.  I love this week....probably more than my own birthday.  I get to bake both dog and people treats to share with the two most important little creatures in my life.  So it's only fitting that I take a post to stop and reminisce in this year's celebrations.

Croque Houmous

There are times in your life that call for comfort food.  Soup feeds a cold, flat coke settles and upset stomach and soft potatoes soothe a sore throat.  But when the hubs woke up this morning with a vicious inflamed lymph node, I was at an utter loss as to an appropriate comfort food.  All I knew what that it had to be  cheesy, hot and have some sort of sauce smeared on top.  Then it came to me....grilled cheese.  But not just any grilled cheese - his all time favorite grilled cheese.  Because sometimes cheese between two toasted slices of bread just isn't enough.  There are times when covering that deliciousness with a béchamel sauce is just what the doctor ordered.  That's me, the lower-case doctor....ya know, not in medical school to become a real Doctor.

Grilled Ricotta Cakes

I have a new favorite patty.  Ms. Mayonnaise from Doug was a long time favorite of my younger years, while adulthood has been mostly dedicated to quinoa and black bean.  But now there's a new little patty in town...my yummy little ricotta patty.  You know that delicious, creamy ricotta that typically fills lasagna?  Well that's exactly what these taste like.  All the delicious tenderness of lasagna filling, but with a crispy exterior....yum.  Plus you don't have to make an entire casserole.  Super versatile, these little patties are my new favorite side.

Brussels Sprout, Black Bean & Brie Quesadilla

I never thought for a moment that I would ever live to see the day that my husband would actually ask me to make brussels sprouts.  He had never even eaten one until I began my sprout-kick early last year.  Ladies and gents, it is with sheer delight that I inform you this day did indeed come.  It was last Thursday, March 14th, 2013.  He simply slipped into the conversation his desire for me to make brussels sprouts again.  Well, perhaps not exactly brussels sprouts...but he did request that I make this exact quesadilla again.  And any time that I get to eat black beans, sprouts and black truffle brie grilled to melty perfection, I am happy to oblige.  Score one for the vegetarians!