Here is the final appetizer that I’ll be making this Friday on the “Oscars” edition on Valley Dish. Hope you’ll tune in at 3:30 on channel 12.

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So, you know how I’m smack-dab in the center of celebrating my self-proclaimed holiday, citruspalooza? Well, the Chicago Tribune has completely ripped off my idea and ran a whole article about citrus on the cover of their food section today! What the heck is up with that!? Granted, their story is all about weird and exotic citrus, some of which I’ve never heard of before. Buddha’s Hand, Finger Limes, Cara Cara Oranges, and more. You can check out portions of the article at THIS LINK.

And speaking of Chicago, I want to share one of the many fabulous salad recipes from my BFF, Jen, who lives in Illinois. The girl is a wiz at cranking out quick, easy, and delicious salads in a snap. This is one of my favorites she has made for our family. Jen uses a bottled dressing she can find locally that is put out by Maggiano’s Little Italy Restaurant. We do have a Maggiano’s Restaurant on the corner of Scottsdale Road and 71st Street, but I am not certain if they sell the bottled dressing in the restaurant or not, or even if you can find it locally at your grocery store. So just in case, I’ve included a homemade version at the bottom of the recipe.

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I call these A++ BLT Biscuits because we have both avocado and arugula. No actual lettuce to be seen. Although we need the “T” because if I was to call them BAT, no one would know what I was talking about… but say BLT, and it brings a smile to almost every face! My plan was to serve these as an appetizer at a party I had last Friday. As the time approached and I still hadn’t cleaned the house or even taken a shower… this was the recipe that was sacrificed. I replaced it with something I had in my freezer but I still have all the purchased ingredients in my fridge.  What to do? Make the biscuits sandwich size instead of appetizer size and serve them for dinner to Dave and Marissa. Perfect, and both of them had smiling faces and tummies! Click on the chipotle mayonnaise below and it will take you to a previous post with the directions to make it. Lastly, I don’t know if my gorgeous niece, Raina, reads this blog… but even if not, I send out a huge Happy 25th Birthday to you, Raina! xoxo

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If you read this blog much, you already know that baking is not my thing. But I do have a young family member in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho and baking are her forté. My sister-in-law, Teresa, and daughter-in-law, Brandie, recently opened a cupcake bakery, Sweet B Cupcakes. It is the city’s first bakery dedicated to cupcakes.

The “Good Morning, Cupcake!” – a maple buttermilk cupcake with maple butter frosting sprinkled with crispy bacon crumbles, is one of their most popular creations.

No, unfortunately, the following is not their recipe, it is just my best guess at what the delicacy may be like. I must say, it turned out pretty darn good for a non-baker. Although, I did overfill the papers a bit, as you can see by the sad-looking pan below. To avoid the same ugly fate, only fill the liners 3/4 full with the batter. I have reflected that in the written recipe below.

I also didn’t want to wait for the bacon drippings to solidify in the refrigerator, so I set them in an ice bath (also pictured below) as I minced and crumbled the bacon. The drippings were ready to go as soon as I was done with that easy task.

Marissa (and Dave for that matter) turned up her nose at the idea of bacon on cupcakes, but she (and he) changed her tune upon the first bite. These are really super yummy and would be a wonderful change from the same old muffins at a breakfast or brunch.

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A happy coincidence, meant to be, just by chance, lucky, a fluke, a quirk, or a twist of fate… whatever you call it, I like it! And I love that word, happenstance, awesome word! What, by chance, was the fateful occasion for me?

I had about 1/2 head each of green and orange cauliflower from the Colorful Cauliflower Purées of 5 days ago and was trying to decide what to do with it. Of course, I could just make a vegetable side dish or purée and freeze it for later use, but that felt mundane. I was leaning toward cauliflower soup, but it’s so dang hot outside. Instead of pondering it any longer, I decided to waste time on Facebook and, as luck would have it, there staring me in the eye was a recipe for a frittata using cauliflower, delivered directly to my home page from my Facebook friend, Food & Wine! Problem solved, and proof that perusing Facebook isn’t always a waste of time.

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My favorite sandwich, hands down, BLT!

Warm toasted bread, spread with tangy mayonnaise, topped with hot salty bacon, tart juicy tomatoes, and cold crisp lettuce = heaven on your tongue and happiness in your tummy. What is your favorite sandwich? How do you like to eat it? I’d love to hear, really! Leave me a comment here, on this site, not on Facebook or Twitter. I’ll draw a name from a big wooden salad bowl on Monday and the winner will be mailed a gift card to Paradise Bakery where they have some of my other favorite sandwiches and salads.  If you don’t live in AZ or have a Paradise Bakery nearby… we’ll work it out.

My husband, Dave, and his BFF, Jeff (men don’t say BFF, do they?) have a boy crush on Travis McGee. He is a fictional character in novels by mystery writer John D. MacDonald. Travis is a detective or actually a self-described “salvage consultant” who recovers others’ property for a fee. He eats sandwiches, lots of different sandwiches and he likes to eat them while standing and leaning over the kitchen sink with a couple of cold beers. I’ve read a few of the books myself (there are 21 featuring McGee) and for some reason, that image has always stuck in my brain.

Correction: Since posting this 12 hours ago, my husband has corrected me saying that his hero Travis McGee would not be so crass as to eat sandwiches over the kitchen sink. That, in fact, the fictional character I’m thinking of is novelist Lawrence Sanders’ detective of the “Deadly Sins series”, Edward X. Delaney.  That actually makes more sense since I read all of those “Sin” books. I stand corrected!

I’m certain Travis, oops I mean, Detective Delaney would appreciate this terrific salad, as well.  Even though he’ll have to sit down and eat it with a fork and knife. By the way, a couple of optional garnishes, which I didn’t use only because I didn’t have them on hand, would be thinly sliced red onion and homemade garlic croutons.

Side note: If you read this before 4:30 today (9/8/10), I am cooking with Tram Mai on Channel 12 Valley Dish. Main course salmon during the live show and a taped segment from Saturday’s Phoenix Cooks. Hope you can tune in…

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Potato skins are something I generally associate with the fall or winter. I’m not really sure why that is, but when they are grilled, instead of baked and broiled, they just seem more “summery”. These were a huge hit on the last day of summer kids’ classes! Speaking of which, ever wonder what the kitchen looks like before and during classes? A few photos are at the end of the recipe… I wasn’t brave enough to put up any “after” pics!  Tomorrow I’ll share a few photos of what my fridge looks like after a shopping “spree” before a week of classes – it’s scary – I’ll tell you that!

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There really is nothing more refreshing in the heat of the summer than tropical fruit. A couple of days ago it was mango, today pineapple. The directions for cutting, peeling, and coring a fresh pineapple are at the bottom. But first, you shall find a recipe for a wonderful and seasonally bright salad. To make it more of a main course salad, just add grilled chicken or pork.

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Apps are all the rage these days, so I’ve decided to create one of my own! OK, so not the sort of app that you’re thinking of, although that would be terribly cool of me too. No, “apps” – as in appetizers.

On the Friday of each summer “teen week”  class, the students help to create the menu they will cook and serve to their guests. Three of the ten students requested mashed potatoes this past week.  Mashed potatoes in June? Hey, I love mashed potatoes, after all, I’m 100% Irish!  But in the 100+ degree heat of the summer – not so much. The potatoes would generally be the side dish to something too heavy and hot for such sweltering temps. On the other hand, how can I ignore the request of 30% of the class? How could I get the mashed potatoes to stand on their own? Turn them into an appetizer, of course … brilliant!

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This recipe was requested by the mother of one of my former (all grown-up now) students to be placed on the blog. We made this fresh and full-flavored bruschetta during a summer session several years ago. It thrills me when people put in requests for specific posts. Moms, you know what I mean, every night you have to think of something to feed your family, sometimes it comes to you easily and other times, you struggle. Same here!

The people who request items most often are my own two darling kids. Marissa usually asks for something specific and Connor… well Connor usually wants chocolate or bacon! So to appease him, you have the option of garnishing these tasty toasts with crumbled bacon… there you go Connor, your request was not denied! Oh, and that gorgeous yellow tomato in the picture below… from my garden…I’m just a little proud of it!

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