We’ve been cooking up a storm in Cooperstown and having a blast. This salad was a favorite from a dinner last week and I just have to share it. It was inspired by Katie Quinn Davies’s new book, but we gave it our own twist. We used fresh herbs from the garden, cooked farro as the base, tons of slow-roasted tomatoes, and roasted pistachios for crunch. It was every bit as healthy and satisfying as it looks. And, it was a snap to make in advance. Here is a good one for summer and fall. I highly recommend giving it a try while all the good tomatoes are still available!
Hot, buttery, flakey biscuits, saturated with a fresh pat of salty butter, are one of my most favorite things to eat. This is precisely the reason that I don’t make them too often. I could easily eat a whole batch myself and outgrow my pants in a flash while doing so. Instead, I do my best to practice restraint and only make them once in a while. And when I make them, I make them count.
The key to a good biscuit is quality flour and delicious flavorings. Sometimes I make plain biscuits, but I really love biscuits that are a little sweet and used for shortcakes, or biscuits that are a little savory and used for breakfast or as a side dish at meals. Dressing them up with cheese and herbs is a particular favorite of ours because it lands them somewhere between a biscuit and a gourgére. These also make terrific bookends for eggs and bacon if you want to create a killer breakfast sandwich. Or, you can do what we did, and serve them in a bread basket at Sunday lunch.
We’ve been grilling a lot this summer. For the most part the meals have been really simple so I haven’t been typing them up for individual posts. Instead I’ve been recording them to share with you all at once. Most of the them are so basic they don’t require recipes and can be thrown together with ease. Please share what you’ve been grilling in the comments so we can swap ideas and enjoy the last few weeks of grilling season together!
Grilled Lamb Kebobs: Marinate lamb chunks in lemon, olive oil, and garlic. Place them on a skewer with chunks of pepper and onion and grill.
Citrus Grilled Shrimp with Salad: This simple citrus marinade is from my first cookbook, The Naptime Chef, and it is still a big favorite. I marinate the shrimp during naptime and grill them up in the evening.
Grilled Shrimp with Gazpacho: Make the gazpacho during the day and eat it with last night’s grilled shrimp for lunch!
Steak Chimichurri: Another favorite from The Naptime Chef, a grilled steak with a simple chimichurri is perfect. Serve them with tortillas to make tacos! This is a steak chimichurri we had at a friend’s house.
Lemon Rosemary Chicken Kebobs: These easy chicken kebobs are perfect for everyday grilling. The recipe is in my new book, The Family Calendar Cookbook. Marinate the chicken during the day and grill it up for dinner!
Grilled Soy Ginger Peppers: This one of my favorite grilled vegetable dishes. We just marinate the peppers in a soy ginger salad dressing and grill them in a grill basket until softened and charred.
This summer has been a busy one and I haven’t been using the ice cream maker as much as I usually like to. However, last week I did manage to break it out once and whip up this delicious frozen custard to cope with a heat wave. My husband and I love classic malt flavor so I chose to make this because I knew it would be so appreciated while we sweat it out during the day.
The difference between frozen custard and ice cream is that custard contains egg yolks and is thicker and creamier in texture. While make custard-based ice cream is a bit more involved than your regular milk-sugar-cream ice cream, it is really worth it when you are in the mood for a heavy scoop on a cone.
Coffee rubbed steak has become a real favorite of ours this summer. I’ve been using the recipe from my latest cookbook, The Family Calendar Cookbook, and we’ve been loving it. It is simple and can be thrown together in minutes. We like the way the coffee and touch of sugar caramelize in the heat and create a crust around the steak. It keeps the meat moist and tender and gives it a subtly sweet flavor.
