Whipped Feta and Watermelon Salad

Whipped Feta and Watermelon Salad
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The best part of summer? Chips, dips, and the like become dinner food. In the summer, snacking is king. It makes perfect sense. When we aren’t held to a schedule, I believe humans are natural-born grazers. When there is sun to soak up, who wants to spend time in front of a stove? Almost every crop and piece of produce is at its peak and the less is more approach is the most successful. And when heatwaves roll in, a plate of spaghetti and meatballs isn’t top of mind for anyone. What is far more likely to capture the imagination? Beer, fridge cold hummus, torn pita bread, and this Whipped Feta with Watermelon Salad.  

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Avocado BLT Fresh Rolls with Warm Bacon Nuoc Cham

Avocado BLT Fresh Rolls with Bacon Nuoc Cham
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It seems I can’t let a summer pass without making fresh rolls – a couple of rounds at least. And because I am a weirdo, I am incapable of making any of the traditional versions. Don’t get me wrong, I love the rice paper rolls from my local Vietnamese place and I have enjoyed a shrimp roll or two in my day. But as far as I’m concerned, these classic rolls are best when they’re made by seasoned hands. My lemongrass chicken rolls will never approach the perfection I get from Pho Challenge up the street from me. So, I mess with the fillings and what I have learned from my experiments is anything you can put in a sandwich you can put in a rice paper roll. And these Avocado BLT Fresh Rolls are further evidence of my findings.

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Shrimp Toast with Green Cocktail Sauce & Hummus

Shrimp Toast with Green Cocktail Sauce and White Bean Hummus
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When I shared the teaser for this Shrimp Toast with Green Cocktail Sauce, there were many comments about the uniqueness of my food. I am and was flattered but I don’t think the praise is entirely deserved. This toast, while pretty, is a visual inventory of what was in my fridge at the time of its conception. The green cocktail sauce a desperate attempt to justify buying my weight in tomatillos. The white bean hummus merely an expression of my undying love for, well, hummus. Basically, my brain darts around in a million directions, and I let it. And then I attempt to make it look intentional in the aftermath. It’s all culinary smoke and mirrors.

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Poppyseed Pretzel Knots with Beer Braised Onion Queso

Poppyseed Pretzel Knots with Beer Braised Onion Queso
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If you told me a year ago that I would miss a visit to my local pub the most, I wouldn’t have believed you. At the beginning of lockdown, I was too busy lamenting canceled vacations to give my favorite bar much thought. But, just a little over a year into this pandemic, here I am missing fish and chips and a cold pint more than my own mother…not really, but it is close. It really is the everyday indulgences I miss. Dawdling through the grocery store, meeting up with friends for a cocktail, or popping out for a meal on a whim. But we’re still in this mess, so the best I can do is turn my living room into a watering hole and serve the best pub grub I can muster, like these Poppyseed Pretzel Knots with Beer Braised Onion Queso.

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