Finally, it feels like Mother Nature got the memo that it’s actually spring here on the West Coast. After weeks of cold, rainy weather, the sun has come out and it feels as though I may be able to go without a jacket now! At some point I was tempted to rub my eyes and question what that shiny orb in the sky was because I felt like I hadn’t seen it for so long. The smells of grills cooking keep wafting over to my house from the neighbors, and I can’t help but wonder what they are cooking! Try out a great dinner salad, cooking with parchment paper, and some mouthwatering burgers and hot dogs. Summer, here we come!
| MONDAY |
I love chicken burgers, but sometimes they can be kind of boring. Not so over at the Herbed Kitchen! These remind me of my very favorite John Bishop recipe, with spicy wasabi and topped with pea shoots. Add melty cheese and a bit of wasabi mayonnaise (another favorite in my house), and these burgers are anything BUT boring.
Honey Wasabi Chicken Burgers
Photo copyright The Herbed Kitchen
| TUESDAY |
What’s summer without a little sinful food now and then? I’m not really a hot dog fan, but these stuffed hot dogs over at Simply Recipes look incredible. Forget just having plain ones on the grill, these are stuffed with cheese, sauerkraut and onions, then wrapped in bacon. Oh MY! With a salad on the side, you’d have it made!
Grilled Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Hot Dogs
Photo copyright Simply Recipes
| WEDNESDAY |
With all the produce starting to show up at farmer’s markets, I decided to try a pasta primavera recipe over at Chasing Tomatoes that would show them off. This one was really tasty, with bits of cheese and some fresh herbs thrown in as well. It also made great leftovers the next day and my family just gobbled it up! The great thing about recipes like this is that you can change around the veggies to whatever your family likes.
Photo copyright Karen Humphrey
| THURSDAY |
Do you use parchment paper? I never used to, until I decided to try it-and now I’m an addict. The stuff is so handy in the kitchen-makes clean up easier and I love how things just slide off of it instead of sticking to pans. Awhile ago I tried some Paper Chef muffin cups and was thrilled with how they just came right off the muffin, instead of half my muffin sticking to some silly paper cup. Then I discovered that Paper Chef has some recipes! Yum! This salmon looks delicious and easy, and it’s even baked in a parchment bag for easy clean up.
| FRIDAY |
Salad for dinner can leave you hungry, but this recipe does far from that. I loved the roasted vegetables mixed in with tender greens, hard boiled egg, and a bit of tuna. You can change this around to your liking, mixing and matching what vegetables you prefer, using steamed salmon instead of canned tuna, whatever strikes your fancy!
Photo copyright naotakem