Peachy Hazelnut Crusted Chicken

What's the first thing you crave when you see fresh peaches at the market?  You probably imagine sinking your teeth into that fuzzy exterior, the scent of freshly baked peach pie and crumbly dutch cobblers.  Thoughts of sweet and tender fruit dance like sugar plum fairies around in your head. Odds are you are not being swept away by thoughts of sriracha and a gas grill...unless you're me.  As soon as these pop up in the produce section, I pounce thinking of one thing:  barbecue sauce.  It's time to pull out the chicken and hazelnuts to make my all-time favorite chicken recipe - Peachy Hazelnut Crusted Chicken.  Oh yeah.

Portuguese Pork with Bell Peppers & Broccoli

As the name of this blog aptly covers, the hubs and I are foodies.  If we're not eating, we're thinking about our next meal.  However, we are also known around town for our moonlighting as wine-o's.  That saying about the way to the heart being through the stomach definitely applies.  With all this food and wine, we're almost super duper classy....almost being the key word.  Sure, we love red wine and yes, the wine store recognizes my number on their caller ID.  But then we take notes on our fancy schmancy wines while playing Wii ping pong.  You see, almost...but not quite.

Watermelon Habanero Gazpacho

For some unbeknownst reason, I've been churning out an inordinate amount of soup lately.  Not one, not two but three within the past week.  That's a new June record for this foodie.  All three are delicious recipes that I've been meaning to post for some time.  The two previous posts have been hot soups, but this dish is a nice cold summer soup.  I've been waiting for this year's watermelon crop to hit the markets to share this refreshing Watermelon Habanero Gazpacho.  Perfect for an outdoor picnic or served poolside on a hot day, this spicy and refreshing recipe is fabulous for summer weather.

Roasted Mexican Soup

It seems that every year, some crop is absolutely gorgeous.  Right now, I'm totally stuck on the glorious ears of  corn that are cropping up left and right (pun intended!).  These gorgeous ears can't make it to my mouth fast enough.  We've been grilling them up left and right, using our special family recipe and other fabulous creations.  But what I've been making more than anything is Roasted Mexican Soup.  I absolutely love this stuff in the summer.

Eggy in a Pesto Hole

Eggy in the Basket.  Toad in the Hole.  Egg Toast.  Call it what you will, this little egg and bread combo is a breakfast classic.  It instantly whisks me back to childhood memories of sitting on on my knees at a tall kitchen stool, peeping over the kitchen counter and helping punch holes into slices of bread.  Care Bears pajamas included.  Well, here the kiddy classic grows up a little bit into a slightly more debonaire delight.

Ham & White Bean Soup with Pesto

June is without a doubt one of the best months of the year.  The weather warms up, the barbecues come out, the days are longer and you can sleep with the windows open.  Fresh produce predominates the market and silly things like frozen foods are nearly forgotten.  That is, until I get a whim to clean out my freezer one weekend and stumble across a bag of leftover ham from Easter.  "Good grief," thought I, looking at this forgotten little package of protein, "weren't you suppose to be soup?"  And not just any soup, but my all time favorite ham soup.  So yes, it's June and yes, I'm posting a soup recipe.  But it's still cold in Alaska, right?

Chewy Lemon & Dark Chocolate Oat Bites

I love oats.  Oats, oats, oats.  Down to my belly for breakfast, dinner or dessert.  My favorite varieties are without a doubt old fashioned and steel-cut.  I really prefer their hearty texture for breakfast in Honey Baked Oatmeal or Banana Oat Pancakes as opposed to the smoother, creamier consistency of instant oats.  However, there are certain recipes were the texture of quick-cooking is absolutely essential.  And these Chewy Lemon Chocolate Oat Bites are the without a doubt one of those recipes.

Spring Vegetable Spring Rolls

I have been going ga-ga over all the delicious spring vegetable dishes cropping up on my favorite food blogs.  I mean, who doesn't love fresh asparagus and peas in an easy skillet lasagna or hiding within a tender dumpling?  I love trying these sweet spring greens in every sort of recipe I can find.  All of these delicious dishes inspired me to create these Spring Vegetable Spring Rolls.  Double the spring, double the yum.

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.