Recipe Roundup (June 2012)

Published On 2 July, 2012 | Food for thought, Monthly Roundup

I tend to think that birthday’s are a big deal so in cooking, commemorating and cleaning for my wife’s special birthday over the weekend, I saw my oven clock display 2:00AM on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. Friday night’s dinner for 12 consisted of hummus with meat, home-fried tortilla chips, grilled lamb with corn, individual potato kugels and bite-size meatballs was made complete with a two tiered chocolate fudge cake with a dairy-free cream cheese frosting. In the midst of that I baked 150 cupcakes to accompany the light refreshments we served to our guests on Sunday evening.

 The week shows no sign of slowing down. The celebrations went well and the clean up wasn’t too bad but I fear my camera and I will not be able to spend an evening together this week cooking for you. Worry not, I want to take this opportunity to share with you the best of the rest – a round up of some of the recipes and blog posts that have caught my eye this week. Stay hungry, and I’ll share food from my kitchen next week. I promise!

1. Margaritas and Mojitos ready to go! 2. Pigs in blankets, fresh from the oven.
3. Home fried tortilla chips. 4. Cabbage, fresh from the farmers market.

grilled-zucchini-recipe-kalynskitchenI came across Kalyn’s Kitchen recently and her post on the Perfect Grilled Zucchini stood out and grabbed my attention, especially after I professed my love for zucchini just a few weeks ago.  I’ve never made Gnocchi myself, but Busy in Brooklyn has inspired me and takes Gnocchi to the next level with toasted breadcrumbs.  Wendy of CookingQuinoa.net is another foodie that has caught my eye recently.  She has a great roundup of Quinoa Burgers as well as an older dish that I might make for dinner one night this week, Lemon Chicken and Quinoa Salad.

caprese saladWith the 100+ degree temps that we have been dealing with in Kansas, this Cannellini, Red Pepper and Walnut Salad from With Style and Grace is a “must-make”, as is Brian’s Pesto Coated Carrot and Parsnip Fettucini makes for a tempting dinner.  In keeping with the summer salad theme, Smitten Kitchen shared a delightful looking Chopped Salad with Feta, Lime and Mint.  There’s nothing like a salty, citrusy salad to compliment a sunset!  Daily Garnish adds to this category too with a colorful Vegan Caprese Summer Salad, as does The Kosher Spoon with Cherry Tomato and Green Onion Salad.

Home made quinine syup

Lottie and Doof has an awesome post on making your own Quinine Syrup and I suspect I’d agree strongly with the statement “Homemade tonic water is good. The syrup is even better with some gin and soda.”   I wonder if I can hunt down the ingredients for this treat locally.  I’m a massive fan of tonic water, with or without the gin!  My Darling Lemon Thyme has two posts that made me think of our garden as it continues to grow – Keeping Bugs Away Naturally would  be a crucial step so I prune the mint for this delicious sounding Persian Style Pilaf with Chickpeas and Mint.

strawberry-serrano-process-1My palette has a limited sweet-tooth but that doesn’t mean we can’t end with dessert in the form of Strawberry Serrano Pepper Preserves from Honest Fare, 10 Ways Tuesday: Apricot from La Domestique and a roundup of Spicy Desserts from Kitchen Tested.

This week is one of those with an event each and every night, but our menu for the weekend is already drafted and I’ll share some of my own dishes with you.  While I’m gone, has another foodie caught your attention recently?  If so, please share the recipe in the comments below.

 

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