walnuts

Linguine with Broccolini and Walnut Pesto

Nothing turns the seasonal tide toward light and simple eating like a bright pesto. This one features one of wintertime-turning-to-spring’s favorite vegetables, the delicate broccolini paired with toasty walnuts.

Most often we associate pesto with fresh leafy basil. Fresh, green, bright and oh so summery. But when my harvest of basil is still a few months away, I’m perfectly okay with messing with tradition and adapting ingredients to try something new.

Sure I’ve made pesto with basil, and a version of pesto with spicy, bitter arugula, too. How good is it on pizza? This is how good it is on pizza. And pesto pasta can be served as a main, a side or under a freshly fried egg for breakfast. It’s very open minded that way.

My husband has band practice twice a week (yep he’s a rock star—at least in my eyes anyway) so that means twice a week dinner is girls night for me and my gal Smudge. Invariably when I ask her what she’s in the mood for it’s one of two things: Tomato soup or pesto.

Pesto it is my darling.continue to the recipe… about Linguine with Broccolini and Walnut Pesto

Autumn Cobb Salad

Roasted squash, crunchy apples and dried cherries add seasonal freshness to this autumnal cobb salad, dressed in a spiced apple cider vinaigrette and topped with candied walnuts.

It’s that time of year where I’m either straddling the urge to pull out my chunky sweaters and hunker down with ooey gooey comfort food, or dig in my heels and cling to the straggling bounty of summer and all the freshness it holds.

Yesterday I was debating what to share here on the bloggity blog so I took to Facebook and Instagram and asked what you wanted to see.

“🔜 I’m working on tomorrow’s recipe post. Would you rather see a weeknight chicken pasta 🍗🍝 or a decadent fall-inspired salad 🌽🍅? Getting fresh pickings and loving fall’s bounty at the farmer’s market.”

Your comments, clicks and likes overwhelmingly say you’re in the same camp I am. Long live the salad! So at your request, I present a fall-inspired leafy beauty that will con any non-salad eater into giving the greens a go with the tease of chicken, bacon and eggs and more.

continue to the recipe… about Autumn Cobb Salad

Cranberry and Walnut Stuffing

This simple stuffing recipe is studded with dried cranberries, walnuts, celery, and onions, and scented with a mix of fresh herbs, for an easy and comforting addition to your Thanksgiving table.

Every year, the holiday season begs for taking note of all things nostalgic. From shopping mall Christmas Santas to familiar family stories, reminiscing and relishing the familiar sights, sounds and smells of the holidays goes hand in hand with the season itself.

While the destination of where we gather changes from year to year, being with those we love is always the centerpiece of our holiday table. Family is that one essential ingredient that makes the holidays the special occassions that they are: familiar but in so many ways, brand new.

But sometimes, traditions are begging to be broken, and sometimes you just need to bust out of the same old and put a new spin on things.

continue to the recipe… about Cranberry and Walnut Stuffing

Garlic and Herb Gnocchi Salad and Better Blog Retreat 2014

A few weeks ago I gathered with a group of blogging friends for a weekend at Deer Valley Resort in Park City, UT. The purpose? To kick off our shoes and cozy up on the couches to learn from one another in an easy and relaxed setting. It’s the best way to conference in my book.

Even with the constant drone of tweets, Instagrams and Facebook updates, not to mention our actual blog posts, you’d think we’d all be totally in tune with one another. But working in a virtual space makes it hard to connect with peers. While I could tell you a lot about what’s going on in each of my blogging friend’s lives, there’s nothing better than connecting in person.

Thats why Maria and I assembled a group of bloggers to spend the weekend at a lovely mountainside Deer Valley home where we could all hang together and talk about new ways to better our blogs, our businesses and share ways to find balance between work and our personal lives. Because when your business is on 24 hours a day, you have a tendency to be too.

Today I’m sharing some of the highlights of what I learned at the retreat with you. For my fellow food bloggers, I hope you’ll find it helpful. And for non-food bloggers, I think you’re going to love this Garlic and Herb Gnocchi Salad I’m sharing at the end of this post. It’s a win win either way!

continue to the recipe… about Garlic and Herb Gnocchi Salad and Better Blog Retreat 2014

Grilled Romaine Salad with Prosciutto Wrapped Shrimp

I like to think I have an adventuresome palate. Not that you’ll find me eating deep-fried crickets anytime soon—or should I say again—like that time I did in Thailand. But that is another story for another day.

Boring salads are my nemesis. I’m more into loading it on with a fresh and vibrant variety of flavors when it comes to dressing up the greens. Just one reason why I’m happy to share this salad recipe as part of my partnership with DeLallo Foods and their new line of SaladSavors®.

I’ve been on a grilling charge this month and could see no reason to stop at lettuce. Crunchy romaine hearts are sturdy enough to embrace a charcoal sear so that’s whey they were my top choice as the base of this hearty salad.

Next up, protein. If I’m making a salad for a main meal I need to add a dose of protein to get me through to my next mealtime. Shrimp is one of my favorite salad pairings, and since I was already heating up the grill, a wrap of salty proscuitto around my soon to be crusty crustaceans thanks to the char of the embers was exactly what was in order.

Then it was time for my favorite part, the colorful accoutrements. That’s fancy speak for tasty toppings.