It was 10 weeks ago, today, that we returned home from our glorious trip to Hawaii. I can’t help thinking about just how beautiful … and delicious it was.

So much so, that the memory inspired this sandwich.

I used a purchased bag of coleslaw and zipped it up with the addition of red cabbage and cilantro. Then I made a quick dressing with mayo, sugar, pimento, and spices. Use your own favorite slaw recipe, or just purchase it ready-made from the deli.

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I suppose the heading says it all, but I still can’t say enough good things about these easy to make chicken thighs!

They. Are. So. Good!

Just be sure to take the time and the end to slowly reduce the cooking liquid until it is a syrupy glaze.

Please let me know if you make these and if you agree that they are The Best!

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This is the fifth and final post of “Stone Fruit” Week.

How cute are those cookie letters!?! I found them at Trader Joe’s and could not resist.

This is the perfect recipe to finish the week on. It is colorful, fruity, a little decadent, and so wonderfully summery!

I strolled through Trader Joe’s for inspiration. I had the fruit and prosciutto at home and knew those would be part of whatever dish I came up with. Then I spotted the burrata and the rest of it quickly fell into place.

Burrata is a fresh Italian cheese, made from mozzarella and fresh cream. The outer shell is solid mozzarella while the inside contains both mozzarella and cream, giving it a luscious glorious creamy texture. The name “burrata” means “buttered” in Italian.

One component that is not essential, but really puts this salad over the top is Vanilla Bean Olive Oil from the Queen Creek Olive Mill. The Mill is having a summer special right now, buy 2 – get 1 free. I don’t know how long it lasts, so if you’re interested – act quickly. If not, high-quality fruity olive oil will work just fine for this recipe.

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You didn’t think I’d do a week of “Stone Fruit” recipes without making a pie, a crisp, or a crumble – did you?

Of course, you didn’t!

This is one of the easiest and tastiest desserts around … a stone fruit crumble. Enjoy!

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On this, the third day of “Stone Fruit” Week, we’ll use both fresh and dried cherries and apricots, along with plum, a peach, and a pear – tossed in for good measure.

I also threw in some of the delicious Trader Joe’s Golden Berry Blend; a wonderful mix of golden raisins, dried cranberries, cherries, and blueberries. If you don’t have the blend, use the same amount of golden raisins in its place.

This compote is the perfect complement to chicken and pork.

It also makes a tasty treat served at room temperature over Greek yogurt, ice cream, or frozen yogurt.

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“Stone Week” continues with this main course recipe using both fresh and dried cherries.

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This is stone fruit season. Are you ready for a week’s worth of stone fruit recipes? Yes? OK, let’s get to it.

According to the Cook’s Thesaurus –

“The family of stone fruits includes cherries, plums, apricots, nectarines, and peaches.   They all arrive in the summer, though you can sometimes find pricey imports during the off-season.  Stone fruits don’t become sweeter after they’re picked, but growers often harvest them while they’re still a bit underripe so that they won’t bruise during transit.  At the market, select specimens that have the color, if not the softness, of fully ripened fruit, then take them home and let them soften at room temperature for a few days.”

How about we start off with a cool refreshing drink on this hot summer day?

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They’re back…

Yep!

Friends and family – preferably Frog’s Leap!

Afraid this also applies.

This can actually be a life advantage!

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After not seeing each other for more than three weeks, Peggy and I just had to get together and go out for lunch this past Monday. That’s a long time to not see your BFF!

The day before, I called her to make our lunch plans. Coincidentally, she was having lunch at Pita Jungle, enjoying Coconut Curried Soup w/ Chickpeas, with her daughter, Natalie.

Peggy said, “Linda, I LOVE this soup! You have to taste it, figure out how to make it, and give me the recipe!”  I told her that if she didn’t mind going back to Pita Jungle the next day – I’d do my best.

Problem is, that the Coconut Curried Soup with Chickpeas is not on the printed or online menus at Pita Jungle. This means there is no description of the soup for me to take any of my cues from.

I’ve deciphered restaurant recipes many times before but there’s always been some sort of guide or reference, you know, a description of the dish – besides just the food itself. This was going to be more challenging than I had originally thought.

Monday, I ordered the soup. I ordered nothing else, I wanted all my focus to be on the flavors of that soup.  I tasted it and knew some of the ingredients for certain; obviously coconut milk, probably full fat. I’m going to use lite coconut milk for my recipe, feel free to use full fat if you’d rather.

There was most certainly red curry paste, garlic, ginger … and possibly jalapeño as well.

Next, I spread the vegetables out on the rim of the bowl to see what I could see; I snapped this photo of it – let’s see… red bell pepper, tomato, poblano pepper, parsley, chickpeas, onion, and either orange bell pepper or carrot.  The orange-colored pieces were so small that neither Peggy nor I could decide which it was – so I’m going with orange bell pepper since I don’t care for carrots. I’m also adding diced mushrooms, just ’cause I want to.

I’m posting the recipe this morning but I may come back and tweak it after Peggy gets over here and tries it.

Get over here, girl!

If tweaking is done, I’ll put any additions or changes in red print… stay tuned.

Peggy never did make it over to try the soup, but my boys and I decided it was too thick. Add another can of coconut milk or vegetable broth to thin it out to your liking. I used more coconut milk and then needed to add more curry paste as well.  I’ve made those changes in the recipe below.

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Jen made these tasty olive crostini for us when we were at the Log Mansion. Hopefully, I won’t be embarrassing her when I tell you that I had two and Dave didn’t get a single one before her two youngest sons ate the entire batch!

Yes, they are that good – 10 and 15-year-old boys may gobble them up before you know what happened.  Enjoy.

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