Summer Ice Cream

 Ice cream on a hot summer day sounds perfffect!

How fun are these delicious twists to the classic sweet! 

Summer Eats

A few delicious eats to try this summer while the weather is warm and the pool is refreshing!

Grilled Shrimp with Brown Butter & Rice

Grilled Vegetable Pizza

Tilapia Burgers with Watermelon Salsa & Avocado

Sweet Stuff

Delish!

Oreo Chocolate Cake 

Cookie Dough Cheesecake

Nutella Crepe Cake

Breakfast Treats...

Breakfast is by far my favorite meal! Although there are not as many options for breakfast as there are for lunch and dinner, the classic meals like pancakes and french toast are still delicious!

Sweet Tooth

If you thought that you had a bad sweet tooth....

Churros & Chocolate, Mint Chocolate Chip Cake, Chocolate Covered Banana Pops, Caramelized Strawberries & Bananas

Ombre Cake Decor

Ombre coloring isn't only for highlighting your hair.

 Lately it's even been a decor style for cakes too!

These look as good as they must taste! 

S'more Please

S'more Station, yes please! I could spend hours here...

Postino Winecafe

I finally got a chance this week to catch up with a friend at a delicious spot in Arcadia, Postino Winecafe! I've always adored this area of Phoenix, but with one of the most popular restaurants nearby, it's quickly become my favorite place to go for amazing and delicious Italian food! We ordered a bottle of their Sauvignon Blanc along with a board of bruschetta, which included, Brie & Apples with Fig Spread as well as Fresh Mozzarella with Tomato & Basil! We also split a prosciutto with brie panini with  a freshly made romaine salad for our side. Talk about delish! If you're ever in the area, I highly recommend trying Postino Winecafe! 

 

Roasted Tomatoes with Shrimp and Feta

Ingredients

- 5 large tomatoes, cut into eighths

- 3 tablespoons minced garlic

- kosher salt and black pepper

- 1 1/2 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

- 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

- 2 tablespoons lemon juice

- 1 cup Feta, crumbled

- Crusty bread, for serving

Directions
Heat oven to 450F. Place the tomatoes in a large baking dish. Then drizzle olive oil and garlic on top. Sprinkle with 3/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper and toss. Roast on top rack of oven for 20 minutes. Remove baking dish from oven and stir in the shrimp, parsley and lemon juice. Sprinkle with the feta. Return the dish to the oven until the shrimp are cooked, which is approximately 10 to 15 minutes. Serve warm with bread. 

Source: http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/roasted-tomatoes-shrimp-feta-10000000780294/index.html

Cupcakes!

You know me, anything lemon and I'm there. Therefore, this immediately caught my eye when I saw a lemon meringue cupcake! Then I discovered several delicious looking cupcakes all made by mingmakescupcakes that are all definitely worthwhile to salivate over or even try baking them yourself one day! Enjoy! 

Source: http://mingmakescupcakes.yolasite.com/

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

Ingredients

1/2 cup dark brown sugar {packed}

2 2/3 cups confectioners' sugar

1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons softened unsalted butter {divided}

1 3/4 cups creamy peanut butter

10 ounces milk chocolate chips

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate {chopped}

Instructions

Cut a piece of parchment paper big enough to line a standard sized brownie pan, with a bit of overhang. Grease the brownie pan & lay in the parchment paper.

Combine the brown sugar, confectioners' sugar, 1/2 cup butter & peanut butter. Blend until smooth. Dump the mixture out into the pan & press it down, making it as even as possible.

Melt the chocolates & 2 tablespoons of butter in a double boiler, or in a heat-proof bowl set over simmering water. Stir occasionally to combine. Spread the melted chocolate over the peanut butter base & smooth out the surface.

Put the pan in the refrigerator, until the chocolate is set. Remove the bars from the pan by lifting on the overhang of parchment paper & slice into squares using a sharp knife.

Sources: http://www.theparsleythief.com/2010/05/chocolate-peanut-butter-bars.html

Lemon Ricotta Cookies with Lemon Glaze

Lemon Ricotta Cookies with Lemon Glaze

Ingredients: 

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tsp. baking powder, 1 tsp. salt, 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened, 2 cups sugar, 2 eggs, 1 (15 oz.) container ricotta cheese (I used part-skim), 3 tbsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice, zest of one lemon

Glaze: 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 3 tbsp. lemon juice, zest of one lemon

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir and set aside. Beat the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs, ricotta cheese, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Mix to combine. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed. Spoon the dough onto the baking sheets (about 1 tablespoons per cookie). Bake for 12-15 minutes, until slightly golden at the edges. Remove from the oven and let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 20 minutes. 

Glaze: Combine the powdered sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest. Whisk until smooth. Spoon a small amount of glaze onto each cookie and spread gently using the back of the spoon. 

Source: Giada’s Kitchen by Giada De Laurentiis

Summer Peach Cobbler

Summer Peach Cobbler 

Ingredients

1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter

1 Cup All-Purpose Flour

1 1/2 Cups Sugar, Divided into 3/4 Cup Each

1 tbsp. Baking Powder

1/4 Cup Milk

4 Cups (About 4 large) Fresh Yellow Peaches, Cut Into Slices

1 tbsp. Fresh Lemon Juice

1/4 tsp. Lemon Zest

1/4 tsp. Cinnamon

1/8 tsp Nutmeg

Directions

Preheat Oven to 375 degrees. 

Melt butter in a large baking dish or dutch oven. 

Combine flour, 3/4 cup sugar, baking powder and kosher salt in a medium bowl. Add milk and stir just until dry ingredients are incorporated. Without stirring, pour batter over melted butter. Heat remaining 3/4 cup sugar, fresh peach slices, lemon juice, lemon zest, cinnamon and nutmeg over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Cook until sugar has melted and all ingredients are fully mixed. Without stirring, pour the peach mixture over the batter. Sprinkle cobbler crust with additional cinnamon or nutmeg. 

Bake cobbler for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown. 

Sources: http://www.asweetpeachef.com/sweets/fresh-peach-cobbler/

Sopressata Panini with Fresh Mozzarella & Pesto

Inspired by the Hot Sopressata Sandwich at Salumi in Seattle, WA 

Ingredients: 

4 ciabatta rolls or 1 ciabatta loaf, cut into 4 pieces

3/4 cup pesto

8 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced

12 slices sopressata or salami

Directions: 

Preheat the panini grill to medium-high heat. 

Split the ciabatta lengthwise to create top and bottom halves. 

For each sandwich: Spread 1-2 tablespoons of pesto inside each bread half. On the bottom half layer several slices of cheese and several slices of sopressata. Close the sandwich with the top half. 

Grill 5-7 minutes until cheese is melted and the bread is toasted. Cut in half, serve immediately and enjoy. 

http://paninihappy.com/sopressata-panini-the-best-sandwich-i-never-had-4/