Rosemary Roasted Potatoes with Italian Truffle Oil

My very dear friend Tina just got back from a vacation in Italy- jealous right?! - and brought me back Truffle Olive Oil! It's so good to have friends who feed into my food obsession! Pun very much intended. I've had two experiences with "truffle flavorings" before and was NOT a fan of them. But I knew those were most likely imitation truffle flavorings so I was genuinely excited to try this oil. One because it was from Italy and Two- I could see the tiny sliver of truffle that was in the bottle so I knew it was real! I wanted to try the oil for the first time in a pretty standard way so I grabbed the baby potatoes I had on hand and roasted them with some rosemary. After the potatoes were fork tender I drizzled them with the truffle oil and finished with some flecks of sea salt. They were delicious! The flavor of the truffle was so savory and mouthwatering that I could only crave more. It completely turned a basic recipe into something special!

Kale Salad with Roasted Beets and Granola

While shopping at Williams Sonoma this weekend, they had an Artisans' Market! There were 6 local vendors showcasing their products. My favorite product was Michele's Granola. I've never been a big fan of granola because it is too crunchy. Michele's Granola was so light and fresh that it was like a new product to me. Crazy delicious! I asked Michele how she recommended eating the granola and if there were any savory suggested pairings. She suggested using it as a replacement for croutons in a salad and I liked the idea. After leaving the store, 2 hours later, my mom and I were starving and stopped for a quick lunch at a local sandwich shop where I got a Kale Salad with Granola! I had to order it just because it had the granola on it. The salad was good but a little bitter since the dressing has preserved lemon in it. I really liked the granola on it, and I knew I could make it to more of my liking. The granola added the perfect amount of sweetness and I still can't get over how nice the texture is! I'm going to have to buy more soon so I can experiment with other ways to eating it.

Blackening Seasoning

This past weekend was my Uncles Birthday and since he loves BBQ and spice I decided to give him some of my blackening seasoning! I've been using it a lot for the past two weeks on various recipes and knew he'd really like the flavor that it gives dishes. I used 4 ounce jelly canning cards to package the spice blend and created my own label! Since we were celebrating at my Grandparents I even made them a special jar that didn't have any cayenne in it since they don't like spicy food. My uncle loves as much heat as he can get so I made him my classic blend and an extra hot version! 

Blackened Chicken and Grilled Peach Salad

Summer's fruitful bounty is at it's peak and I just can't get enough of all the fresh fruits and vegetables! I stocked up on some local peaches and instead of making jam or a pie I put them in a salad, a "Black and Orange" salad if you will. (go Orioles!) I decided to grill the peaches to enhance the natural sweetness they have and pair it grilled blackened chicken, salty bacon and creamy gorgonzola cheese. I gave this salad to my mom and she said it was her favorite thing I've cooked in a while. Our culinary pallets are pretty different so for her to give the dish a thumbs up is a big compliment and I'll take it! The salad is great for a healthy lunch or dinner but can also be a nice side salad if you omit the chicken. 

BBQ Succotash

This weekend I found my kitchen well stocked with sweet summer corn. I had a great coupon so I stocked up! Instead of just eating corn on the cob with my bounty I made a BBQ Succotash! Inspired from a side dish at a had a few years ago this is a great side dish for all your summer grilling dishes!