Grilled Halloumi Cheese

I love cheese in any form. Aged, smoked, crumbled, processed (even Provel): all a-ok with me under the right circumstances. I recently tried cheese in a form I'd never had before: grilled. Not slapped between two pieces of bread and toasted on a pan, cooked on an actual grill, by itself. Guess what? Turns out that I like cheese prepared that way too. Not just any kind of cheese will work for this, however. You need something with a high melting point, like Halloumi, which originates from Cypress,  Served with grilled tomatoes over watermelon it makes for a nice end of summer appetizer and helps use up any remaining basil and mint you might have lying around.

Rosé Spritzer

We've officially made it to the lazy days of summer. It's just too hot to be very ambitious, especially when it comes to refreshment. This spritzer recipe is the perfect drink for a hot summer day and it is really simple to make, with only four ingredients.

Date Night: Katie's Pizza and Pasta Osteria

I've been a fan of Katie's Pizza in Clayton for a long time, so Katie's Pizza and Pasta in Rock Hill has been on my "Restaurants to Visit" list ever since it opened. Though the two are not technically a chain (one is owned by the actual Katie and one is owned by her father, our server was quick to inform us), anyone who loves the original Katie's is sure to love the new spot. 

Mango Lassi Frozen Yogurt

I've started daydreaming about desserts I want to make but don't have time to: elaborate layer cakes, pies, really anything that involves more than three steps. But I keep reminding myself that summer isn't the time for slaving over a hot oven anyway, it's the time for ice creams and popsicles and froyo! Luckily, I have quite a few backlogged recipes for frozen treats that I've been meaning to try, like this Mango Lassi Frozen Yogurt. It manages to be tart, sweet, and just a touch salty all at once, the perfect summer refresher. You can choose to go with low fat yogurt in this recipe if you want, but you won't get that Mango Lassi richness.

Creative Cocktails from the Planter's House

Image Source

My in-laws were in town this past weekend, and they were kind enough to watch Roscoe while my husband and I went out for a little belated anniversary dinner at the Planter's House. I had been meaning to visit since it opened up over a year ago, but I hadn't gotten a chance before I got pregnant and after I was pregnant there didn't seem to be much point in going to a place that is all about the cocktails. Yes, cocktails! Welcome back to my life, booze. I have missed you.

Gooey Butter Cake with Orange Liqueur

It was really just a matter of time until I got around to sharing a gooey butter cake recipe on the blog, as it is the unofficial dessert of St. Louis, where I make my home, and also a dessert that I've loved eating my whole life. There is nothing else quite like it. In the traditional recipe, the crust is made with a yeast dough, but that isn't the gooey butter cake most people have tried. Everyone I know uses the yellow cake mix shortcut, which is not only easier, some say its even tastier than the traditional version. One of these days I'm going to have to make the traditional recipe just so I know for sure which I prefer, but until I have more time on my hands, I'm sticking with the tried and true. I spiced things up a bit by adding a little Grand Marnier:  not enough that it tastes blatantly boozy, but just so it has a subtle hint of orange. You can substitute any orange liqueur if you don't have Grand Marnier.

Cold Brewed Iced Coffee

With a newborn at home, I'm looking for any possible ways to shorten my morning routine.  One way I've found is making a batch of cold brewed iced coffee so that I have my caffeine needs met on demand. It takes just minutes to whip up a batch that will last all week long.

Toasted Banana Bread with Whipped Cream Cheese and Pineapple

Once bananas in our house reach a certain level of brownness, they will never be eaten in the traditional fashion. At that point, I peel them and throw them in a plastic bag in my freezer until I'm ready to make something out of them. Over the holiday weekend I decided to use up my bounty of frozen bananas by baking some banana bread. I tried a new recipe, which was pretty delicious on its own, but topping a toasted slice with cream cheese and pineapple takes it to another level.

Cook Once, Eat Twice Turkey Sausage and Goat Cheese Lasagna

I've officially entered the most tedious part of pregnancy, the final weeks. All of the major preparations are finished, the baby is considered full-term, so now I'm just waiting for him to decide he's ready to come out into the world. No telling when that might happen. In the meantime I'm doing all the things women in the last weeks of their pregnancy are expected to do: pack their bags for the hospital, go on lots of walks, sleep as much as possible, and oh yes, make freezer meals. My favorite kind of freezer meal is an eat some now and eat some later meal; I don't want to work on something for two hours just to put it in the freezer to enjoy weeks from now. I need some instant gratification. This also happens to be my favorite lasagna recipe ever. The turkey sausage keeps things from getting too heavy, and the goat cheese adds a nice tangy element.

Tres Leches Cake

Celebrating Cinco de Mayo today? In addition to your margaritas and your tacos, you might want a little dessert. If that is the case, I have a recommendation for you: Tres Leches Cake! If you are unfamiliar, it is basically a vanilla sponge cake drenched with milk (evaporated, sweetened condensed, and half and half) covered in whipped cream, and in my version, fruit. It is muy, muy delicioso!

Strawberry Frozen Yogurt

My sister and I love frozen yogurt so much that we used to joke about starting a froyo review podcast or blog. We were going to call it Fro Up, as in, eat too much froyo and you will fro up. This homemade strawberry frozen yogurt is so delicious you might be tempted to overindulge. Like the crisp I posted Tuesday, it is a an extremely straightforward recipe, perfect for those making ice cream or frozen yogurt for the first time. This is also a great way to use the early spring strawberries on sale in grocery stores now; macerating the strawberries in sugar makes even mediocre berries taste amazing. Adding a little vodka or kirsch to the mix just intensifies the berry flavor.

Rhubarb Crisp

I love a good crisp. As delicious as pie is, sometimes its just too much of a hassle. This is especially true when you are trying to get spring cleaning, gardening, and running errands all done in the same weekend. If you have an extra half an hour to make dessert on such a weekend, just about the best thing you can make, in my opinion, is a rhubarb crisp. I think rhubarb must be getting more popular (or maybe more scarce?), because I had to call around to find a grocery store here in St. Louis that actually had it in stock. I hope its the former rather than the latter, otherwise I'll have to start growing my own. Gotta have my spring rhubarb crisp!

Homemade Pierogi with Bacon, Peas and Ricotta

Not every recipe I try is a winner, but I feel like I have to share the bad with the good. And this recipe, honestly, isn't bad, it just wasn't exactly as advertised. I was expecting to make 16-20 pierogi and ended up making twice that (not to mention all the leftover pierogi filling I have in my fridge). Tons of pierogi would not be an issue if I were feeding an army of Polish children, but I was only making dinner for two. From start to finish this recipe took about 3 hours (partly because I didn't read ahead to see that I needed to let the dough rest for an hour, doh!), but also because this recipe makes SO MANY PIEROGI! Still, they are quite tasty little dumplings. If you have the time and inclination, not to mention the appetite, to take on such a task, by all means, read on!

The Best Blueberry Muffins

These are the blueberry muffins of my youth. They come from an old cookbook called Mother's in the Kitchen, that my mother has had in her kitchen for quite a long time. According to the cookbook, this recipe came from Mrs. Pat Koberstine's grandmother, who hailed from Ottawa, Canada. Despite that, these are called Belfast Muffins, or rather they are the blueberry variation of Belfast Muffins. What makes this recipe a bit unusual is the addition of wheat germ, which not only gives the muffins more of a nutty taste, it also amps up the fiber and protein in the recipe without making them seem too healthy. You should be able to find wheat germ in the cereal aisle of your grocery store.

Banoffee Pie

It's not like I need an excuse to make pie. I'm a pregnant dessert-loving woman and pie is my favorite kind of pie. But this Saturday is Pi Day! It is so called because the date, March 14 or 3.14, is the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter. If you haven't celebrated Pi Day before, there's never been a better time to start;  this year's date (3/14/15) matches up with the first four numbers that follow the decimal point — 3.1415. There are lots of ways to celebrate Pi Day, most of them are fairly nerdy, but the most delicious way is by making a pie, such as the delectable Banoffee Pie pictured above. If you've never had Banoffee Pie before you MUST try it; the combination of dulce de leche, bananas, whipped cream, and chocolate is truly transcendental, just like Pi (that was a math joke, guys!).

Blender Bloody Marys For A Crowd

I wouldn't necessarily call myself a Bloody Mary connoisseur, but this recipe is super delicious! The fresh tomatoes and celery amp up the healthy factor, while the horseradish, hot sauce, and Worcestershire sauce bring the flavor. In my pregnant state I was only able to enjoy the virgin version, but I know they would be even better with a generous splash of vodka.

Strawberry Banana Mango Smoothie

Spring is just around the corner. I keep telling myself this, but I'm having trouble believing it, especially since we just got seven inches of snow over the weekend. Still, this combination of strawberries, banana and mango (strawbango? strawmana?) helped. It's like a sunny spring day in a glass.

Angel Food Cake From Scratch

Angel food cake is one of the desserts (and there are quite a few) that always reminds me of my grandmother, Audrey. She swore by generic angel food cake mixes from ALDI or the Dollar Store. Because angel food cake made from a mix was good enough for Audrey it has always been the way I've made it in the past. But recently I needed to use up a bunch of egg whites left over from making ice cream, so I decided to try making one from scratch. To be honest, I don't know if I will be going back. The homemade version took about the same amount of time as a mix and turned out so delicious.

Waffle Churros

Valentine's Day falls on a Saturday this year, which means its the perfect opportunity to surprise your significant other with a romantic breakfast. These waffle churros, served with a chocolate sauce on the side, are decadent but not too sweet first thing in the morning. If you've got other plans for breakfast, they make a fantastic dessert for two as well.

Magic Seven-Layer Bars

I love infographics almost as much as I love baking, so I was very excited to see this one created by Slate a few months back that answered the question, "If every state had an official dessert, what would it be?" I'm always interested in learning about new regional desserts, and this infographic made me aware of a few I'd never tried, including Seven Layer Bars, the proposed state dessert of Minnesota. According to Slate, the seven layers are "butter, graham cracker crumbs, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, walnuts, shredded coconut, and sweetened condensed milk." Intrigued by the combination of ingredients (not to mention the fact that butter itself is considered a layer), I decided to whip up a batch of my own. True to their name, they came together like magic, and tasted pretty incredible as well.