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! 

Pan Seared Rock Fish with Tomato, Zucchini and Olive Relish

While talking to my sister the other week she had mentioned that she made rock fish for a few friends of hers. She roasted a whole rock fish with olives, fennel, tomatoes and said everyone loved it! Even her friends that didn't like olives couldn't get enough. This sounded like a delicious meal so I decided to try something similar. This was a weeknight meal for me so I needed it to be quick and easy. I've never cooked a whole fish before so I chose a rock fish filet instead. It was a delicious meal that was light yet filling. The flavors of the olives, zucchini, tomato and the heat from the jalapeno complimented the fish really well. I'd like to try this combo with shrimp as well. This was a great summer meal! 

Sage and Prosciutto Wrapped Chicken

Man oh man! I think I blinked and June was over! I've had some seriously busy weeks lately and when I've cooked I haven't had the time to photograph anything. On top of my busy schedule I've been in a serious food rut! My mind would just draw a blank when I would think of what I wanted to eat/cook-- until yesterday! I drew some food inspiration from a recipe I saw and per my usual made it my way! It was delicious! I love the flavors of fall and that's exactly what I got from this dish. It was very quick and easy. The look of the sage under the prosciutto is very elegant that this is a great meal to keep in your back pocket when you need to impress someone!  

Spring Vegetable Risotto

The kitchen is one of my favorite places to be and yesterday was no exception! After a rather peculiar day all I wanted to do when I got home was enjoy a class of wine and get in my kitchen! I've been putting off making risotto since it's been too hot but yesterday the weather was perfect for a bowl of the creamy goodness. Since it's Spring I wanted to use what vegetables were in season and thus came my idea of a Spring Vegetable Risotto. I've made risotto's before and have always really enjoyed them but this recipe really takes the cake! I was thoroughly impressed with my impromptu dinner that I made up on the fly. I even had seconds, and I don't do that often! Eating this while sitting outside on my balcony with a glass of wine was the icing, or should I saw cheese on my risotto! I hope you enjoy this as much as I did. 

Steak and Potato "Lollipops" with Horseradish Cream Sauce

I'm always looking for new easy appetizers to have in my recipe back pocket and I've just added a new one! Sometimes you need to have a heartier appetizer to serve if you don't feel like making an entire meal and cocktail meatballs just don't do it for me. I wanted a play on a normal meal and came up with these Steak and Potato "Lollipops" To dress them up a bit I decided to make a horseradish cream sauce to really give this dish an edge. I also like the versatility of this dish because sometimes it's just not feasible to have a hot appetizer and these lollipops are great at room temperature or cold. The horseradish cream sauce is probably my favorite element of this dish. Even my sister, who refused to try it at first, loved it. I could seem the gleam of delight in her eyes after the first bite. 

Grilled Flank Steak

This weekend I expanded my grilling experience to flank steak! It's one of my favorite cuts of beef and I've cooked it for years under the broiler because I was nervous I'd burn it on the grill. Since these are larger cuts of beef I wanted to do a simple marinade since I'd be eating this for a few meals. It turned out really well. Juicy and flavorful and it lends itself nicely to a variety of sauces. It's great as is for dinner or thinly sliced for appetizers and salads.