There's nothing better than a fresh and flavorful salad on a hot summer night!  And when it's grilled Sweet Chili Teriyaki Chicken and fresh pineapple, together with lots of other colorful and perfect flavors, you know it will be good!

​We created this salad by accident - leftover grilled Sweet Chili Teriyaki Chicken breasts were just waiting to be munched on, but when added to crisp salad greens, and healthy and crisp matchstick carrots and crunch sweet red peppers, we had something special going on.  This salad just screams for fresh pineapple as well, and I make this two ways - with grilled fresh pineapple when I've got a few extra minutes, or just chunks of fresh pineapple when the natives are restless...

​I've lost track of how many times I've made this Strawberry Poppyseed Salad and the number of times that people have told me "This tastes JUST LIKE the Panera Strawberry Poppyseed Salad - ONLY BETTER!"  And I get so many requests for this recipe that it's time to post it again!

​It may be the homemade fresh Poppyseed Dressing, or maybe it's the Maple Glazed Pecans.  It could be that it is fresh, or maybe that you don't have to wait in a line to order it and pay big bucks for a little salad!  With five daughters, we love us some fresh salad, and this is one of our favorites!  And anytime that I can make something healthy and so dang delicious?  That's a win-win for me too!

There's nothing like a little Italian chocolate for a very special occasion - especially when it's tall, dark and handsome! 

​This is so crazy easy to make and MILE HIGH delicious!  Luscious dark chocolate and hazelnuts - smooth as the silkiest French Silk, fabulously loaded with flecks of Ferrero Rocher and topped with swirls of Dark Chocolate Nutella Ganache to tease your taste buds.  A cup of hot coffee and small pieces for everyone - this one is RICH!

It's been a busy, busy week around the home front.  Tonight I wanted to surprise everyone with one of their favorite home-cooked meals - Chicken Parmesan with Creamy Sundried Tomato Pesto Pasta. Imagine your favorite pesto...loaded up with a burst of flavor from sundried tomatoes and fresh herbs.  This serves as a wonderful base for one of the tastiest pasta sauces ever. 
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​It's been so tropical and steamy outside that our garden has taken off like crazy, and I've got more fresh herbs than I hardly know what to do with.  I love picking them fresh - the aroma and flavor make me happy!  Once upon a time I had thoughts of an old-fashioned English garden with mint and herbs growing up all around the garden stones, but life gets in the way, and who has time to weed garden stones as well as a garden?  Skipper replaced some windows with a French patio door for us this week, and I'm loving all of the sunshine and green from the garden flowing into the house.  And if I'm lucky, there may be some new garden paths in the future...and even more fresh herbs!

Oh my - hands down this is our favorite summer crisp!  Filled with fresh summer berries, cherries and rhubarb, and topped with a perfect oatmeal & pecan topping - what's not to love?

​Summer berries never last long enough, and I wanted to make sure and take advantage of the beautiful ripe berries in my fridge before it was too late.  Fresh strawberries, raspberries, cherries, and some tender rhubarb - all the red fruits that we love so much! 

Don't you just love lazy summer mornings?  It's what we dream about all winter long, and when they finally get here, they just seem to fly by!  I can't believe it is already the middle of July and already the back-to-school sales have begun.  Time to slow it all down and enjoy every single minute that summer has to offer!

​And there's no better way than a long and lazy brunch with Crème Brulee French Toast!  If you love crème brulee, you will absolutely adore this!  Thick slices of French country bread, creamy egg custard, with a dark golden crust of bubbling caramelized brown sugar and butter!  No need for maple syrup with this one...it stands alone as French toast perfection!

My family loves hot Kentucky Hot Brown's at Kentucky Derby time, but the taste combo is so good that I wanted to come up with a slider version.  And you know what?  These are just the perfect little slider!  I've made these more times than I can count, and I keep getting requests to make them again!

​One of my summertime tricks is to roast a fresh turkey breast and use it for a variety of meals - a roast turkey dinner, in salads or in wraps.  Thick slices of fresh roasted turkey breast are just a natural part of easy and delicious, and the fresh ingredients, melted Swiss cheese and Caramelqued Bacon just take these to the next level!

Lazy summertime nights...makes you want to be a kid again, doesn't it?  And for those impromptu get-togethers, it's always nice to be able to pull out a little treat that everyone will enjoy!

​BBQ Sweet Potato Fries are a family favorite that always make everyone happy - and I love that you can customize this recipe to match not only your favorites, but also those little bits of leftovers that you might have lurking in the fridge! 

Now that all of you have been introduced to Chocolate & Coconut Friands, I'd like to introduce you to their sweet sidekick - Almond & Coconut Friands with Fresh Summer Berries....it's a match made in heaven!

​Delightful little French cakes, made with browned butter, ground almonds and egg whites - these bake up with the lightest golden sugar-crust you will ever taste!  And just as simple and easy to make!  I like to have a little variety, especially for a special little party, and this is a nice way to shake things up for our little French soiree.

We're having a little celebration, and I wanted to make things a little special and unique.  What could be sweeter than a little French pastry?   And for pure WOW factor, there is nothing finer than Chocolate & Coconut Friands! 

​Who would ever believe that these are easier to make than muffins, more wonderful than your favorite dark brownies, and richer than a slice of pound cake?  Friends, you are going to LOVE friands!

Oh, I know you've heard me say this before....but really, this homemade berry pie is our favorite!  The combination of fresh blueberries and blackberries can't be topped - until you try the fresh cherry, raspberry and strawberry filling!  But put them all together in ONE PIE?  You've got some serious power going on now! 

​After they are done oohing and ahhing over the marvel of how you made this pie, you'll be able to see their minds thinking.  And if you think people will fight over the most perfect piece of pie - wait until they realize that there are only TWO premium pieces that give you a chance to enjoy them all together!

It's our favorite time of the year!  It's always a treat when the fresh wild Copper River Sockeye and King Salmon are in season and are being flown in daily.  I have an arsenal of wonderful fresh salmon recipes, and this is one of our favorites!

Grilled fresh pineapple...glazed over and over, until it's perfectly sweet and tender, and covered with the most delicious sweet and sticky teriyaki glaze ever! 

​I've lost track of how many times we've made grilled caramelized pineapple this summer - with a variety of glazes and different tastes.  This is one of our favorites - perfect with any kind of Teriyaki or Sweet Asian chicken or salmon, perfect in salads, or simply perfect all by itself! 

For years we've thought that one of our little ones was allergic to pineapple.  Come to find out, she may not be!  If you get a tingling sensation in your mouth or on your tongue when you eat fresh pineapple, you are not alone! ​

Our long Fourth of July weekend kicks off with a bang!  I usually try to keep our summer holiday weekend loaded with picnic and barbeque fare - but it's always fun to bring out something that elicites a "WOW" from the gang!  With so many red, white & blue recipes to pick from, this is a family-favorite that I make over and over during the summer months! 

​It's hard to go wrong with the most delicious and moist homemade vanilla cake ever - this is my go-to recipe whenever I need a fabulous vanilla cake or cupcakes...my little ones call this "wedding cake", and for something that tastes and looks so special, it is so simple to bake!  Topped with our favorite Summer Whipped Topping and fresh summer berries, it looks as beautiful as it tastes!