I planted 1 sungold tomato plant this spring and I'm so  happy to finally be seeing (and eating) all of the FRUITS of my labor.  (See what I did there?) ;)

I bought a container of cherry tomatoes to add to my beautiful little yellow tomatoes so that I could create some really colorful summer salads.  This BLT salad is the perfect way to highlight the bounty of my summer garden.  I made the recipe as written since this was my first attempt at this salad but be sure and check the bottom of the post for my revisions.  

BLT Salad
2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup light mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon dill
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 cups romaine
2 bacon slices, cooked and chopped fine

​Combine tomatoes and salt and let sit 5 minutes. 

Combine mayonnaise, dill and pepper. 

Toss romaine with tomatoes. 

Drizzle with mayonnaise mixture.  

Sprinkle with bacon. ​

Serve.

This salad was very tasty but I realized that salting the tomatoes ahead of time made them really watery which consequently made the lettuce very watery.  The next time that I make this salad - I will add the salt to the dressing instead of the tomatoes.  I'm fairly certain that making this one little change with keep the lettuce crispy and the salad fresh and delicious.  

Ciao!

Admittedly, this is not the most visually appealing meal that I've ever posted.  The grainy green sauce doesn't look very appetizing but in this case - I'm happy to say that looks are deceiving.  The green Chili Verde sauce was absolutely bursting with fresh flavor.  The roasted tomatillos, poblanos and onions a whole new layer and dimension of flavor that was truly special.  

Roasted Chili Verde Chicken Enchiladas
2 pounds tomatillos
4 poblano chilies, halved lengthwise
1 yellow onion, quartered
6 cloves garlic
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 Tablespoons olive oil
4 chicken breasts
16 corn tortillas
1 1/2 cups Mexican blend cheese
1/2 cup 2% plain Greek yogurt

Place husked tomatillos, poblanos, onion and garlic on a greased baking sheet.  ​Broil 12 minutes or until well charred.  Let cool 5 minutes.

 Pour tomatillo mixture into Dutch oven.  Bring to a boil.  Cook 3-5 minutes or until thickened.  If using raw chicken, return chicken to pan.  Allow to cook until temperature of chicken reaches 165.  ​Remove chicken and allow to cool.  Shred chicken

Serve enchiladas with with 1 Tablespoon yogurt and chopped cilantro. 

If your'e new to the world of tomatillos and poblanos - make sure you choose nice fresh, plump vegetables that are free from blemishes.  Old tomatillos can lead to an overly tangy and off-putting flavored sauce so make sure you choose the freshest available.  

Ciao!

If you've never explored the world of fruit cobblers - you need to jump on this bandwagon.  Cobblers have got to be the easiest summer desserts to throw together and if you don't want to heat up the house - you can even cook them on a grill!!  And - I've have never met anyone who says that they don't like cobbler.  EVERYBODY loves cobbler.  Top it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and its absolutely irresistible.  

Cobbler recipes vary greatly.  Some are juicier and best served in giant bowls and others are biscuit based and best enjoyed on plates.  No matter how you slice (or scoop) it - do NOT forget to top it with a scoop of your favorite ice cream.  

The name "Easy Blueberry Cobbler" indicates just how simple this cobbler is to put together.  Pop it in the oven when you sit down for dinner and it will be warm and ready to eat by the time you finish your meal.  

Easy Blueberry Cobbler
7 ounces condensed milk
3/4 cup + 1 T.  self rising flour
1/4 cup whole milk
4 Tablespoons butter
1 cup blueberries
2 Tablespoons sugar

Bake until golden brown and toothpick inserted into center, comes out clean.  (Around 35 minutes)

Slice or scoop cobbler onto a plate or into a bowl.

For an over the top treat - serve with homemade vanilla ice cream. 

So many cobblers to try and so little summer to taste them all.  Next on my list is a gooey peach cobbler.  I'll be posting my homemade vanilla ice cream recipe soon so be sure and check back on the blog for that recipe.  

​Ciao!

I made it my mission to eat LOTS of really great seafood while we were in Gulf Shores, Alabama last week mostly because it's such a struggle to get fresh seafood in my landlocked little town.  Seriously though - I ordered the catch of the day at LuLus, Bahama Bobs AND Bills by the Beach.  I'm pretty sure I gained at least 5 pounds last week - totally worth it though.  

Shrimp with Charred Corn Salad
1 Tablespoon salt
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 ears of corn
1 red bell pepper
1 cup red onion, sliced thick
2 Tablespoons fresh chives, chopped
2 Tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
​

Serve shrimp with salad.

I ate this salad when it was hot off the grill for dinner and it was amazing.  I ate it again the following day - cold out of the frig and to my delight, it was equally amazing.  

You could easily switch up the veggies and customize this salad.  I'm thinking that it would be incredible with grilled eggplant, zucchini or even roasted tomatoes.  

​Ciao!

I love dreaming up new cupcake flavors - by that I mean that I LITERALLY dream about new cupcakes flavors at night.  This strawberry basil cupcake did NOT come to me in a dream however - the inspiration for this dreamy cupcake came via Pinterest.  (Lets face it - Pinterest IS a pretty much a dream.)  

Two of my favorite flavors of summer are juicy, red strawberries and fresh, green basil.  It only made sense to combine these flavors into one super delicious cupcake bursting with summer freshness.  I absolutely love the pink and green color combination and I loved the flavor even more.  

Allow to cool completely on a wire rack. 

Prepare a batch of basil buttercream by stirring 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil and a drop of green food coloring into swiss meringue buttercream.  Frost cupcakes with a swirl of buttercream and top with a fresh strawberry.

I recognize that this may seem like a strange flavor combination to many of you.  I'll be honest, the concept of infusing herbs into a basic buttercream is new for me.  I can tell you that this wont be my last herbed buttercream though - I loved it THAT much.  This is definitely a cupcake that you need to TRY before you form and opinion.  

Ciao!