Dill Caesar Wedge Salad with Potato Chip Croutons

Dill Caesar Wedge Salad with Potato Chip Croutons
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Once upon a time, the wedge salad was considered a relic—a cringeworthy nod to the much-maligned mid-century American dining scene. But as with most things old and outdated, the wedge salad found new life during the vintage-loving aughts. It was resurrected alongside a slew of hip steak houses, dusted off for Mad-Men-themed parties, and now it has finally settled down as a menu mainstay. And for good reason, a wedge of iceberg is truly a blank slate. Chefs and cooks can’t seem to resist the endless possibility of this admittedly angular base. And I am no exception. Today’s Dill Caesar Wedge Salad is my own little riff. It’s part caesar, part wedge, and part small child let loose on a salad bar. And you know what? That is precisely the kind of energy I want to see in the world. So let’s make this potato chip spackled beast!

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Poached Shrimp with Peach Habanero Hot Sauce

Poached Shrimp with Peach Habanero Hot Sauce
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The summer may be winding down but patio weather lingers. Sure, school is back in session but we still have acres of good weather ahead of us. So before we dig out our casserole dishes and launch into soup mode, let’s keep those effortless summer recipes going a little longer. Today’s Poached Shrimp with Peach Habanero Hot Sauce fits that particular brief perfectly. It can be made in advance, it pairs well with a beer or a crisp glass of white, and its cook-time is minimal. Sounds pretty summery to me!

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Bloody Mary Spritz

Bloody Mary Spritz
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Lately, I’ve been researching savory cocktails. It’s not that I have anything against sweet\fruity drinks. I just don’t find them particularly compelling. And overly sweet beverages? I cannot stress enough how much I dislike them. A drink should have a lot more going on than just sweetness. You’re not popping a straw into a Capri-Sun after all. I do like the taste of alcohol, I don’t need it to be masked. But savory cocktails take things even further. They don’t just balance the sweet with the alcohol burn. They put the sweet in the back seat in favor of notes of feta brine, pickle brine, tomatoes, celery, and/or fish sauce. And if this all sounds gross to you, I promise it is not. Plus, they double as an appetizer, which is just economical. Today’s Bloody Mary Spritz definitely fits the cocktail/appetizer description. 

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Watermelon Salad with Whipped Ricotta

Watermelon Salad with Whipped Ricotta
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I feel a little silly dedicating an entire post to this wee Watermelon Salad with Whipped Ricotta. As I said in a recent Instagram post, this is less of a recipe and more of a styling exercise. But this combo tasted so good that it seemed cruel to keep it from you. So here we are with a less-than-five-step recipe that is more of a concept. It’s fair to ask what this historic combo is. You’re looking at a solid disc of juicy watermelon topped with a ribbon of whipped ricotta dotted with bits of olive drizzled with Calabrian chili oil. The salad is finished with a sprinkling of crushed pistachios and bits of wood sorrel. 

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