Creamy Garlic Scape Dip

Last weekend, I stopped by a neighboring town’s Farmers Market and was excited to see one of the stands had garlic scapes. If you’ve never had a garlic scape before, you’re missing out. They are the flower bud of a garlic bulb – they taste like garlic and can be used in any recipe as a substitute for regular garlic. Usually in late June, the green tops are removed to encourage the garlic bulb to grow thicker.

I decided to make a dip with the ones I picked up. It was so delicious and made for a perfect afternoon snack. I added a couple basil leaves to bring the garlic flavor down a level, but you could omit it if you don’t have fresh basil.

I have also used scapes before to make pesto and tossed with fresh pasta. I can’t wait to see if the farm stand has them again this weekend!


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Blueberry Swirl Cheesecake Bars

Blueberries are just starting to be in-season and I can’t wait to make more recipes with blueberries. I picked up a pint of fresh berries from a local farm stand and they were delicious. I’m hoping my husband’s grandfather invites us to his house to pick blueberries this year. We’ve been able to go in the past and have picked gallons of berries that have lasted me months.

These cheesecake bars were delicious! The blueberry swirl breaks up the rich and creamy cheesecake.

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Fish Tacos with Lime Crema

Summer is officially here … and it’s finally feeling like summer in PA. Our first heat wave is here and I’m already looking for simple and easy dinner recipes. My husband and I love fish tacos and I love that I can make them at home in no time at all.

This recipe is simple and the lime crema brings it to completely different level. There’s a bit of heat in the marinade and the crema cools it down, plus it adds a creamy element to the taco. I used cod for our tacos, but they’d be great with any white fish (snapper, tilapia, haddock).

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Italian Hoagie Dip

I have to give my mom credit to sharing this recipe with me. She recently made it for a picnic and it was a HUGE hit! It’s a quick and easy dish to make for any gathering. I made it for a Father’s Day picnic at my in-law’s house and everyone enjoyed it.

It’s basically all the insides of an Italian hoagie chopped up, mixed together with a dressing and served with sliced bread. I know this is going to be a staple in our house!

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Mini Ricotta Galettes with Fruit

Life is slowing down for us this summer and that means I’m able to get back into the kitchen. I’m taking full advantage of the time this weekend and made these mini galettes.

Whenever I buy ricotta for recipes, I always have some leftover. This recipe uses a cup of ricotta and the perfect way to use it. You can easily switch out the fruit to whatever you have on hand. I’m looking forward to making them again when peaches are in season.

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Small Batch Chocolate Cupcakes with Cookie Dough Frosting

Did you know today is “National Cupcake Lovers Day”? Me either, until a blogging friend invited me to participate in a fun challenge to share cupcake recipes. My entire family is a big fan of cupcakes, though I rarely make them for us. I think the problem is that most recipes make two dozen cupcakes and I really don’t need that many cupcakes sitting on my kitchen counter for days on end.

I started looking around for recipes that make only a few cupcakes and found one for chocolate cupcakes. Perfect! Then I set out to find one for frosting and the first one I found was for cookie dough. How fun, right?

I whipped these cupcakes up the other night so I would be ready to celebrate today with these cupcakes. The cupcakes are moist and full of chocolate flavor. I’ll probably add chocolate chips the next time I make them. My taste-tester of a husband exclaimed that the frosting was amazing. He requested I make it again but with vanilla cupcakes.

Be sure to check out all the recipes in today’s Cupcakes for Cupcake Lovers Day challenge below! I got a sneak peek at some of the cupcakes and there’s so many I want to try!

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Lemon Blueberry Breakfast Cake

School is coming to an end. Sports are slowing down. The primary election is over. Time to get back into the kitchen!

I’m slowly easing my way back in and made this delicious cake over the weekend. It’s light and fluffy, has a hint of lemon and the fresh blueberries were perfect. The cake is not too sweet, so it really is the perfect way to start your day.

This is going to be my go-to recipe whenever I need to use any type of berries or stone fruit. I bet this cake would be delicious with peaches. I can’t way to try it later this summer.

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Chopped Kale Salad

In my last Misfit Market box, I received a small bunch of purple kale and was in the mood for kale salad. My family is not a big fan of kale, but I love it. Especially with a simple dressing and topped with dried cranberries, Parmesan and sunflower seeds.

I’m looking forward to making this salad again. It’s so simple, yet filling. I find that eat more salads in the summers and am so ready for all the local produce to be available. I stopped at the roadside farm stand for the first time this weekend and I was so happy to see local strawberries, tomatoes and more.

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Garlic and Onion Cheddar Cheese Ball

Do you ever find yourself with a bunch of random ingredients in the refrigerator and want to use them up before they go bad … or is it just me?

I had a block of cream cheese that I needed to use and thought it would be great to make an appetizer for Easter dinner a couple weeks ago. I threw together this cheese ball and it was a hit.The flavors of the garlic, onions and cheese go so nicely together. I paired it with pita chips, but it would go great with vegetables or crackers. You can easily double the recipe to make a large ball or make multiples for a party.

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