I purchased one too many package of fresh pizza dough from Trader Joe’s last week for classes. I also had a few extra onions on hand and I always have plenty of herbs in the garden. Pretty much a no-brainer as to what to make with that dough, but I really didn’t want to use cheese or make a sauce.  Then I remembered a foccacia I’d had in California that had an savory almond paste as the “sauce” – almonds, herbs, and caramelized onions… YES!

This did not turn out to be the prettiest focaccia I’ve ever seen or made, but my husband, son, and dad will attest to the fact that is darn tasty! One way to add a bit more color would be to sprinkle on the herbs after it comes out of the oven instead of before it goes in … so, yeah … do that!

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If you made your blueberry vodka yesterday – then today you are ready to enjoy a tall refreshing and very pretty glass of blueberry-vodka lemonade.  Oh, and you’ll be so very happy you did – it’ll cool you down and chill you out, all at once.

This is what the blueberry and raspberry vodkas looked like when they were done macerating. Be sure and reserve the berries after you strain the vodka – you’re gonna want to use them as garnish.

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I am nearly buried in cooking classes at the moment, so I only have a couple of minutes to slap up a few photos and a couple of recipes – if you can call them recipes. They are more like quick and super easy ideas for tasty bits… almost too easy to even label “easy breezy”!

A few students are missing from this photo. One was homesick, another was late because she was coming from lacrosse practice, yet another was just running late, and so on. We start at 10:30 sharp because there is a lot to do and we can’t wait. So this is a glimpse of what it looks like at the very start of class – when the students are just getting underway. Trash cans are empty, counters are relatively clear, the floor is still rather clean, and my two assistants are observing, rather than washing, drying, and well, basically “assisting”.

The gentlemen in the forefront are mixing up bread dough, for English muffin bread. My assistants, Connor and Troy, are waiting for something to do. The young lady in the orange shirt is frying up bacon for the Bacon Strip Pancakes, the two on the right are starting on a batch of Cinnamon Roll Pancakes and the young lady in the center, at the island, is working on a batch of granola.

For our breakfast-themed meal yesterday, one of the dishes we made was English muffin bread with quick homemade strawberry jam – here is the jam simmering away. You could use a potato masher to crush the berries, but donning gloves and using your hands is so much more fun!

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Connor and I went to the Scottsdale Old Town Farmers’ Market on Saturday morning. I got him all excited to go, telling him that we could split one of Eugenia’s heavenly croissants from the Essence Bakery Cafe booth at the market and then we’d go Barrio Queen for breakfast afterwards. Who could resist once they’ve seen this breakfast menu?

Con got up early on a weekend day and we left the house at 7:20. Only two problems – the Essence booth wasn’t there on this particular Saturday and Barrio Queen doesn’t open until 11:00. What an utter letdown!! We ended up eating a very nice meal at The Breakfast Club, but it certainly wasn’t the same as Chile Verde Con Huevos or Chilaquiles from Barrio Queen!

Oh well, at least we bought cute round zucchini at the market and I did my best to make it up to him by creating this meal for him on Sunday.

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“Bánh mì” is considered one of the world’s best street foods, and for good reason, it is one delicious sandwich!

Bánh mì is the Vietnamese word for bread, or more specifically the baguette, which was introduced in Vietnam by the French during their colonial period.

Although the term “bánh mì” itself only means bread, without fillings, the term is used to refer to a type of meat-filled sandwich found in Vietnamese bakeries abroad, especially in the United States, Canada, Australia, and France where there are large Vietnamese populations.

There are countless Vietnamese flavored Bánh mì fillings- such as pork prepared in numerous ways; juicy pork meatballs (xiu mai), bar-b-que pork (thit nuong), shredded pork (bi), and pork roll (cha lua). Also popular are grilled chicken (ga nuong), sardine (ca moi), scrambled egg (trung chien), and vegetarian (chay). The one seemingly surprising but very popular and common ingredient is liver pate.

For today’s recipe, I’m going with my personal favorite – the Xiu Mai or the pork meatball.  I hope my friend, Tram Mai, would approve of my rendition.

I used this cool little kitchen gadget that I’d purchased about a year ago at Sur La Table to julienne the vegetables. What’s so cool about it, is that it spins to reveal three different peeling/slicing edges.

I don’t recall how much I paid for it then (probably too much) but I saw it for sale at Cost Plus World Market, just yesterday. So if you want one – get yours there!

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I have a plethora of peaches and a ton of tomatoes taking up precious room in my refrigerator – what to do?  There is only one thing to do and that is to make my Famous Peach Salsa. I was shocked to discover that I hadn’t posted this recipe in the three-plus year lifespan of this blog.  How is that even possible? I’ve been making this salsa since 1993.  The photo above is of me making it at the 1996 Duncan Family Farms Peach Festival. Gotta love the overall shorts I’m sporting there!

Yeah, I’ve been rocking this salsa for nearly two decades!

And one of the people who love my salsa the very MOST is my BFF, Peggy.  She came over to not only enjoy the salsa but to finally “do something” with the crates that we acquired back in February. What crates, you ask?  Remember – THESE CRATES!

I turned mine into a rolling side-table and Peggy and I turned her two crates into rolling herb gardens… via Pinterest.

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I needed to think of a quick meal to throw together in a crockpot – when suddenly I remembered that I had seen and then “liked” a pulled pork sandwich recipe on Pinterest. So I went back through my list of “likes” – clicked on the picture and it took me directly to the recipe on the Better Homes and Gardens website.

This is exactly why I love Pinterest!  It was even easier than if I’d cut out the recipe from the actual magazine. Because then I would have had to remember just where I had stuck that clipping, which would not have saved me any time at all.

I changed a few things from the original BH&G recipe, so we’ll call this one, “inspired by”…

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My cup runneth over… my three tomato plants are producing between one and two dozen tomatoes each and every day.  It’s hard to keep up!

We are eating tomatoes at just about every meal, every day; under a poached egg on an English muffin for breakfast, on sandwiches for lunch, and mixed into something or another for dinner.  This pasta dish was especially popular with my guys.

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Several techniques help keep these pork chops tender and juicy. First, pounding the chops thin helps the acid (vinegar) penetrate the meat right to the center. The vinegar not only acts as a tenderizer but also adds a delectable level of flavor. Next, by dredging in flour, egg, and panko – the juices are sealed in and a crispy delicious crust puts these chops over the top. Lastly, by using an instant-read meat thermometer, you are sure to not overcook.

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Can you tell that summer is weighing hot and heavy on my mind? The last few posts have been Gazpacho, Panzanella Salad, Peach Pizza, Baba Ghanoush, Mojitos, etc. 

I know that for many of you, summer does not begin until June 21 (actually June 20th is officially the first day of summer this year – don’t ask me why).  But here in the Arizona desert, summer hit on the first 100-degree day, which was April 21st this year.  Yes, a full two months before it’s “official”.  And yes, that sucks royally! Today’s forecasted high temp is 108 degrees! UGGGGG!!!

But I can’t deny that I do love summer foods; tomatoes, zucchini, peaches, plums, radishes, watermelon, cherries, cucumbers, eggplant, corn, basil, and, maybe most of all… berries! 

“Boo” to 100+ Degree Days!
“Hip Hip Hooray” for Summer Produce!

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