I am partnering with my friends at RiceSelect today to mix up some tasty back to school snack mixes and storing them in repurposed rice jars. These easy, no-cook snack mixes are a great way to use up leftover snacks, the last scoop of dry cereal, a few nuts that are left over from a recipe, and other end-of-the-box ingredients.
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I hosted some friends on a recent summer night and there was the teeniest chill in the air that hinted at the change of the seasons. I set out to experiment on a dish that still had the bright, fresh flavors of summer, but with a hearty twist. The result: this lentil and quinoa salad, full of crisp spinach, delicately sliced slivers of red onions, crumbles of goat cheese and crunchy almonds, and topped with the tastiest, juicy peaches. Add the lentils and quinoa while they’re still warm to the bowl to help wilt down the spinach and red onions, and soften the almonds a bit. The goat cheese will also blend into the mixture, but save a little to add on top too! The celery seeds give the salad extra flavor, and I kept the dressing super simple with some fresh citrusy lemon juice and a light drizzle of oil and vinegar. Add the fresh peaches to the bowl right before serving to keep them from getting mushy, the sweet flavor of summer peaches is the highlight of this dish!
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I got the most beautiful box of colorful summer ingredients from my friends at Clover Food Lab delivered last week and it inspired one of the tastiest (and summer-iest!) salad I’ve made in a long time. It was a perfect pairing at my book club dinner with herb-y lobster rolls. Atop a big bowl of fresh mixed greens, I sprinkled thinly sliced red onions, juicy tomatoes and cucumbers from my garden, loads of summer blueberries and fresh corn cut off the cob. Everything was topped with goat cheese crumbles and chopped up pecans and almonds. Give it a little drizzle with white balsamic and good olive oil (I LOVE Graza Olive Oil!) and season with salt and pepper before serving – major YUM! Get the simple recipe below: 
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I can not stop myself from eating these Manchego, Olive, Soppressata and Melon Bites! They’re a super easy, no-cook appetizer idea that is perfect for summer entertaining. Start with mini skewers or toothpicks and add small blocks of manchego cheese (or another sharp cheese of your choice), marinated olives (get these from the grocery store olive bar), slices of soppressata (fold them into ribbons on the toothpick for easy bites) and cubes of sweet cantaloupe. I made them a few hours ahead and kept them chilled in the fridge under plastic wrap until ready to serve. They’re a refreshing, flavorful bite to pass around the table at summer parties!
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We kicked off the official start of bbq season this weekend, so I was in the kitchen experimenting with some tasty new side dish ideas. Every summer barbeque needs a pasta salad, and I have a few classic versions I always lean on but decided to mix it up with something fresh. Fresh English peas and sweet snap peas are some of my favorite seasonal veggies, and they were the inspiration for this pasta salad recipe. They got tossed with some fun corkscrew shaped pasta, crispy, salty bits of cooked prosciutto, and a lemony dressing with fresh lemon thyme. The result was a bright, tangy side salad that was perfect for al fresco entertaining – get the full recipe below!
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Make room on your Easter brunch menu for this buttery, dense, and fragrant orange poppyseed bundt cake! I love making a bundt cake for a brunch because the presentation is just WOW when you display it in all its glory, a sweet orange glaze dripped over the ridges and glistening with flecks of orange zest and poppyseeds. Don’t be intimidated by using a bundt pan, give it a good coat of butter, dust it lightly with flour, and if you have any parts that stick you can always cover them up with the glaze! I love this recipe because it’s a little bit dessert, a little bit breakfast pastry, and an all around crowd pleaser – get the full recipe below!
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As we gear up for Easter weekend celebrations, I wanted to share an ultra-easy dish that combines just 3-ingredients and works great for brunch menus or as an impressive appetizer. The classic combination of prosciutto and melon isn’t a new idea, but for spring and summer celebrations, I amp up my display by cutting the melon slices with floral cookie cutters. The variety of sweet, juicy melon pieces in floral shapes, layered with ribbons of salty prosciutto, and a few fresh mint leaves for garnish and color, is an eye-catching combination that will impress guests! 
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I have been absolutely *craving* this salad since I made it, and added it to our weekly plan twice since. The first time I snapped a pic and shared it on Instagram, and got dozens of messages coming in asking for the recipe. It’s easy, quick, and probably going to be one of my favorite summer dinners this year. I marinated some white beans with lemon juice, olive oil, garlic and parsley. Then I whisked up a simple creamy lemon dijon vinaigrette, and used it to dress a big crispy green bowl of spinach and shaved Brussels sprouts topped with the beans, prosciutto, leftover grilled chicken and shaved parmesan cheese – chef’s kiss! Save this one for an easy weeknight dinner, or. make it in a bigger batch for some top notch spring entertaining!
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I like to give my spring vegetable bounty an accompaniment that lives up to their fresh, crisp flavor; a homemade dip is the perfect balance for crudité. This garlic herb vegetable dip is simple to assemble and tastes best after the flavors combine for a bit in the refrigerator. While you could serve it with any veggies or potato chips, I opted for an all-green-display that would be perfect for serving on St. Patrick’s Day! 
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I love popovers; these puffy baked treats are an absolute favorite of mine! The eggs in the batter help them billow up over the edges of the tin to create tall, crispy exteriors and a custardy inside. I love to make them for holiday brunches, and this version with sharp cheddar and fragrant chopped chives, makes a delightful pairing for a big hearty bowl of stew. They can be finicky to master though, so I’ve laid out a few tips for success below, along with my favorite recipe version from my cookbook. 
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