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I’ll admit, I first learned of hasselback potatoes from a Pinterest picture. While I rarely let Pinterest dictate my menu, I do like turning to it for ideas from time to time. I am accustomed to grilling vegetables but I have never grilled a potato whole and was so intrigued by the idea. Frankly, it never occurred to me to try it even though I am always popping potatoes into the oven to accompany meatloaf in the winter. The cool thing about this recipe is that not only it is a snap, but it a really stunner presentation-wise. It always draws a little extra attention because it is just so fun to look at.

This is a super simple recipe that we enjoyed on Martha’s Vineyard over vacation. I love it because it reminded me of my favorite Watermelon Goat Cheese Salad recipe. It has the same components of the sweet fruits (peach and tomato), warm herbs, and tangy cheese. The burrata is a new one to me as a salad cheese. I usually lean toward goat, feta, or blue, but the silky burrata worked beautifully. The milky mozzarella oozed into the crevices of the chopped tomatoes and enveloped the peaches. There was just a little bit of it in each bite and the trifecta of flavors was summer perfection.

During the summer I’m all about making the most of my edible gardens. My herbs have been thriving ever since they were moved from the sunny raised bed to the shadier porch. Now my daughter and I are collecting bunches of fragrant greenery to use in my cooking. Over the weekend I was inspired by my gorgeous lemon verbena plant. Every year I am tempted to plant it in the garden but have been advised against it since I’ve been told it will take over everything. Instead I just buy a new plant each year and keep it in a pot until the first frost hits. I make sure to use every single leaf in everything from tea to ice cream to baked goods. This shortbread was new to us this year and we loved it.

I know summer is in full swing when the farmer’s market starts to fill up with good local corn. I snagged my first bag the other day and nearly skipped home. There is nothing better then fresh sweet corn! I can’t wait to get my hands on more when we get to Cooperstown at the end of the week. A lot of the time I simply grill or boil corn and eat it with butter and salt. But this time I decided to kick off the season with a salad full of fresh tomatoes, a little onion, basil, and corn that had been roasted to concentrate its flavor even further.

We had so much fun on Martha’s Vineyard last week. The island was just as wonderful as it always is. Traveling with two kids is always a bit of a circus, especially since our little guy caught a bad cold, but it was so nice to get away. Here are some instagram shots if you’d like to see:

Earlier this summer I shared some interesting information about naturally made versus processed cheese. The short story is that we all want to be eating and serving naturally delicious cheeses like Arla Dofino. They are the easy healthy choice for our families. To give you more information Arla Dofino cheeses check out this awesome infographic above. It features their five main varieties of cheeses and ways you and healthily incorporate them into your everyday diet. Which one is your favorite?

p.s. Some great cheese recipe: Homemade Queso Dip, Cheese Tartine, Gourmet Grilled Cheeses

Graphic courtesy of Arla Dofino, used with permission

(Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Arla Dofino. The opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the sponsors that make The Naptime Chef possible.)

This summer I’ve been thinking about expanding my writing to encompass wines. I frequently suggest pairing food with wine at each meal but never go more in the depth than that. This is mostly because my wine vocabulary is somewhat limited and I don’t want to sound dumb when I try to articulate what kind of wine I like and why. The best way to remedy this is to dive into the subject ready to learn as much as I can. I won’t become a wine writing genius overnight, or even in a year, but I’ve got to start somewhere. Today I’m going to begin with writing what I know, which is about three summer wines we’ve been enjoying at home lately.

Earlier this week Talenti Gelato sent me the most ah-mazing care package. I’ve always loved their brand but it seemed particularly fitting to get a gigantic box of it during National Ice Cream Month. It also came during one of our hottest months which means we are eating ice cream left and right. Yes, I’ve even considered serving it for dinner and skipping the healthy stuff altogether. Here are a few ways we’ve been enjoying it:

We are about halfway through our first gardening season in the new yard and it is time for an update. So far I’m happy to report that my year of experimentation is going fairly well. I’ve learned quite a bit about our climate, the sun patterns, and what critters I have to contend with around here. Here are some photos if you’d like to see:

Sometimes I like a new recipe so much that I make it a little too frequently. That is what happened with this simple ham and cheese tart. The first try was such a resounding success that it quickly took center stage in my weekly dinner repertoire. I admit it is a bit decadent for an everyday dinner. But, we are all sold on it, so I’ll keep making it until something new comes into play. The genius of this dish is in the simplicity of the ingredients: quality Dijon mustard, creamy Arla Dofino Havarti cheese, thin slices of smoked ham, all insulated by buttery puff pastry.

I am a bit of a mayo-phobe so I am always looking for substitutes when I make classics like chicken salad, potato salad, and the like. Usually I end up swapping regular mayo for a sauce that is heavy on yogurt or sour cream. They serve the same purpose, to moisten and flavor a dish, but tastes vastly different than mayonnaise to me. Last weekend I took my first crack at a mayo-free potato salad and made it with tzatziki sauce instead. My friend make Greek chicken skewers as the main course, so the cool cucumber-y salad was the perfect side.

A few weeks ago The Forest Feast: Simple Vegetarian Recipes from My Cabin in the Woods by Erin Gleeson landed on my doorstep and I instantly deemed it the most gorgeous cookbook I’d ever seen. Not only is it full of delicious vegetarian recipes, it is a colorful feast of Erin’s watercolors, typography, photography, and more. Each recipe features it’s own watercolor by Erin, a unique layout, and original photography. On top of that, the recipes feature vegetables in ways I haven’t seen before. The butternut caprese, for example, is the perfect twist on an everyday favorite. I also love her cool watermelon “cake”, and ideas for vegetable ribbon salads. The first recipe I made from it was the strawberry salsa, it was such a hit at our block party!

Today I am sharing a great chat I had with Erin, the delicious salsa recipe, and a chance to win a copy of this book. I swear, once you crack the cover you won’t be able to stop reading it and you’ll tab just about every recipe to try tout de suite!