Have you ever eaten something that’s made you moan?
Seriously. I bet you have. And I bet it was something sinful – maybe a super-rich dessert, or a perfectly marbled rib-eye that just melted in your mouth.
I bet it wasn’t a salad.
That’s right – this salad made me moan. From my first bite, all the way until I ate the leftovers at work days later. I can’t even remember the last time I ate leftover salad and even remotely enjoyed. And this one… I just didn’t want it to end.
It’s time for blueberry sour cream coffee cake to take a back-seat.
Because there’s a new coffee cake in town.
It’s not that I have anything against the blueberry version. I actually quite like it. Anyone who knows me also knows that I adore blueberries. I eat them like candy, I eat them in smoothies… I love my blueberries.
And probably because of that, I like the idea of switching up a coffee cake to include blackberries instead. The next time you get your hands on a package of those lusciously fat, sweet blackberries, I highly encourage you to give this cake a try.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words.
In many cases, this is true. But such is not the case for this frittata, and I’m sure other frittatas would feel the same way. A photo can’t do this frittata justice. It’s big, it’s brown, and it’s not very pretty. There is no colorful smattering of veggies, no dusting of bright green herbs. Even if there were – I’m not sure it would make much of a difference.
And it doesn’t need to. Because the taste is where this frittata shines – and isn’t that the most important part? Of course it is. Yes, I do feel that food should be beautiful. But certain foods to me – I like thinking of them as rustic – are beautiful in their own right, like this frittata. Maybe it’s because I’m a sucker for mushrooms. Maybe it’s the fact that this frittata contains my new favorite secret ingredient to sneak into eggs: Cream cheese. OMG. The cream cheese gives it this lush, well…creaminess…that I’ve never experience while eating eggs. Maybe, though, just maybe – it has something to do with the fact that there are four other cheeses in this frittata.
I’m not sure what it is about serving a tart that always impresses people.
It probably has something to with the fact that tarts are often beautiful to look at, so if you make one that tastes good, too – you know it’s going to be a hit. Such was the case with this recipe, and the best part is that it was also super-easy to make.
You probably don’t need me to tell you how to put together a cheese plate as simple as this one.
A cheese plate doesn’t require a recipe, though you could certainly make your own miniature cheese spreads and salads if you wanted to. For me, I think back to what I learned from Ina long ago: Don’t make everything from scratch when entertaining. If you’re reading this, you probably know that that can be rather difficult for me. For whatever reason, I feel the need to make juices from scratch rather than buying them. I can’t help myself – it’s how I roll. Sometimes I watch Ina buy a pound cake from the market and I think to myself, “I wish I could do that.” Maybe if I had markets as fabulous as Ina has to shop at, I would do things like that. That’s what I tell myself, anyway.
Quick – while peaches are still in season. You’ve got to make this.
As soon as I saw the recipe, I died. Four of my all-time favorite ingredients, all wrapped into one recipe. Not even just the recipe itself, but all in the name of the recipe?
I’m in.
You will be, too. All of my friends were. I even made it super-simple for you by converting the recipe so that you throw everything into your oven all at once, rather than sautéeing a few at a time. A must for entertaining. And probably a must even if it’s just a few of you eating. Heck, even if you’re by yourself… You’re going to want more. Trust me on this.
Add it to the bucket list: Host brunch with mimosa bar.
Unless you’re not into hosting, in which case you might change it to: Get invited to brunch with mimosa bar. It shouldn’t be that hard. I mean – you do know me, right?
The first ladies-only {more affectionately known as bitches} brunch I hosted became infamous because of the mimosa bar. It’s a brilliant concept, really. Everyone brings a bottle of champagne, and you provide the mixers. You can keep it as simple as buying a variety of juices at the grocery store, or you can be mental like me and make it all from scratch, like I did this second time around. The choice is yours, and I promise – no matter which way you go, everyone will be impressed. And happy.
I’m going to call this the holy-trifecta of champagne mixers: Orange-Pineapple Juice, Fresh Peach Nectar, and Strawberry Lemonade. I used three 1-quart capacity glass carafes that I was *so* excited to snag from work. Let me tell you – it’s a beautiful thing to now have access to every kitchen utensil or serving piece you can imagine!
Two years ago, I hosted a brunch. It was right around the time that I started seriously getting into cooking, and it was probably the first time I entertained for a group of more than 4. I remember making Paula’s French Toast Casserole and Ina’s Smoked Salmon Spread. I also did a beautiful tomato and mozzarella salad, an egg white frittata with mushrooms and spinach, and chocolate-covered strawberries for dessert. But what made my brunch so infamous was the mimosa bar. I got all sorts of mixers, like peach nectar, orange juice, and pink lemonade – and each guest brought a bottle of champagne. Seven hours later… We were still going, to say the least.
{2nd annual summer brunch crew}
I think that brunch impacted me in a big way – I learned that not only did I love entertaining, I *loved* the process of putting together a great menu. I’m proud to say that my cooking has come a long way, and I’ve really come into my own in terms of what I like and what I’m about in the kitchen. And what I’m about is creating a truly special experience for my friends and loved ones – and even though the food must be nothing-short-of-fabulous, I like for everything else about the day or evening to be super-relaxed.
The following year, I let life get in the way as it has a habit of doing and I missed my opportunity to host a second annual brunch. This year, the end of August rolled around and I was determined not to let that happen again. And so, I hosted my second annual brunch a year late…
Here’s a super-simple idea to help you use up all of those gorgeous tomatoes at the market right now.
{Not that you needed any help in that area}
There’s something about yellow tomatoes that I just love – they always seem to be extra-firm, even when perfectly ripe. My picky tomato eater – who never ate them until the ripe old age of 34 – is also partial to the yellow variety, so that has to mean something.
So, yeah. Lattice-topped pies are pretty awesome.
Awesome to look at, awesome to eat – and surprisingly easy to make.
I’ll admit it: Something about the idea of a lattice-topped pie intimidated me. I’m not sure what it was. Perhaps it’s the fact the pie dough can be rather finnicky at times, depending on…who knows what. Some days my go-to crust is perfect – and other days, I can’t help but wonder why it’s my go-to crust.
stone fruit slaw.
bacon + tomato salad.
cinnamon-dark chocolate chunk {whole wheat} pancakes.
