Possibly Perfect BLTs

Does my blog need two BLT recipes? Probably not. But these turned out so well.

Deconstructed BLT Salad

From “Seduced By Bacon”, a bacon-themed cookbook.

Bok Choy and Mushrooms with Oyster Sauce

We’re eating a lot of bok choy right now because of our CSA. I think the key to this recipe was slicing the bok choy lengthwise into thin strips.

Blueberry Ricotta Pancakes

A fun breakfast from the homemade cookbook that Eve made me. Mine are shaped a bit oddly because I’m not great at pancakes, hehe.

Beans and Greens

This is an easy side dish that’s good for using up greens and amping up the protein in a vegetarian meal.

Stuffed Portabellas

I had some leftover ricotta hanging around from those stuffed squash blossoms, so I decided to google “leftover ricotta recipes”. I stumbled on this one from a reader on Chowhound and it was a big hit for Meatless Monday, paired with some white beans and greens (recipe to follow), as well as garlic bread. This would work as a sandwich as well (given I basically ate it with garlic bread in that fashion).

Straw and Hay Pasta with Bagna Cauda Sauce

I picked up purple cauliflower at the market Saturday (though I may not have, had I realized the $8 price tag earlier…). On Sunday, I was lounging in front of the Food Network and Rachael Ray was making a tasty-looking pasta involving, believe it or not, purple cauliflower. Figured I’d give it a try.

I had two issues with the recipe (which tasted, great, by the way). One was the fact that my anchovies didn’t “melt” as much as Rachael’s did (maybe I should have finely chopped them before adding them to the pan). My sauce also broke because I turned the cream up too high. Neither problem interfered with this being a really nice, almost meatless pasta dish that feeds an army.

Herbed Potatoes on Skewers

An easy grilled side dish from The Gas Grill Gourmet.

Battered, Stuffed Squash Blossoms

This is my first time successfully making squash blossoms and I’m pretty excited about it! I’ve bought these twice before from the market, but they don’t keep well and wilted before I could use them. I finally bit the bullet this time and made these as appetizers for a day with friends. They were a big hit! Recipe found online. I might add a bit of salt next time and pre-cook the mushrooms, but they are also fine as-is.

Spatchcocked Chicken With Pesto

A delicious approach to cooking a whole chicken on the grill, from How To Grill.