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Sheet-Pan Feta with chickpeas and tomatoes–

Posted on August 4, 2025 | Leave a comment

I saw this recipe in the NYT Cooking Section by Ali Slagle and decided to make it as a side dish/main dish for my daughter who is a vegetarian. I ate it as a side dish and can attest to its tastiness . The feta is soft and creamy and plays nicely with the sweet juicy tomatoes and chickpeas are slightly sticky from the honey and if you’d like add some spice with crushed red pepper flakes. Eat with pita, salad hummus or even yogurt. This is what I did last night . It’s a simple meal which is delicious.

Ingredients:

2 cans (15 oz.) chickpeas ( garbanzo beans) drained, rinsed and as dry as you can get them

2 pints cherry or sungold tomatoes I used Sugarbombs which Whole Foods sells

1 shallot thinly sliced

1/4 cup Extra virgin olive oil

2 Tablespoons honey if you’re adventurous you can use Hot Honey for more kick but leave off the red pepper

1/4 -1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Kosher Salt

I used 1 block of feta sliced into 1″ blocks ( see photo)

Directions:

Pre heat the oven to 400 degrees. On a sheet pan, stir together the chickpeas, tomatoes, shallot, olive oil honey and crushed red pepper. Season with salt, then spread in an even layer. arrange the feta blocks among the chickpeas.

Roast until the feta and tomatoes are soft and the chickpeas turn a golden brown, 30-35 minutes. This is meant to be eaten right away and hot. The feta will harden as it cools so reheat the leftovers. You can add rice or a thin pasta would be perfect as well or orzo.

*you can use sliced red onion if no shallot

*fresh basil would be a nice addition

**if you’re not on board with the vegetarian version you can add some sausage along with chickpeas or chicken

*you can half recipe easily enough

*can sub halloumi for feta

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Summer Salad — Arugula, Farro and Peaches

Posted on July 31, 2025 | 1 comment

This is a delicious salad filled with farro, manchego cheese ( or feta, parmesan, goat or any cheese you like) I just happen to love Manchego and marcona almonds, peaches and chives or scallions whichever you have or prefer or none at all. I will give you some substitutions in the ingredients section. The local peaches in Colorado are ripe and beautiful now so perfect for this lovely salad. And you can add any protein you like and it makes a perfect lunch or dinner salad.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

3/4 -1 cup farro — should be about 2 -2 1/2 cups cooked

5-6 ounces arugula ( I prefer baby arugula)

2 peaches , chopped

1/4 cup chives, chopped or chopped up scallions or none

I used a handful of marcona almonds and chopped them, you can use almonds or walnuts I love Marcona

I used Manchego Cheese, and just used a bit of it — don’t want to overwhelm the salad with cheese , I cut up Manchego into small pieces but feel free to sprinkle crumbled feta, shaved Parm, gorgonzola etc.

Dressing:

3 Tablespoons Champagne Vinegar or White Vinegar

2 Teaspoons Honey

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

a few grinds of fresh black pepper

5 Tablespoons of Olive Oil

Directions:

Cook Farro according to directions on package. I just place in small saucepan with water to cover by about 3 inches, add a little kosher salt, bring to a boil, lower to a simmer and cook until tender, about 25 minutes. Drain well and allow to cool. I try and make the farro ahead of time and put in container so it’s ready to use.

In a small bowl or glass jar place all ingredients for dressing, shake or whisk .

When ready to eat place all ingredients in a large bowl, add dressing ( you’ll probably use all of it) Toss and Serve.

Delicious fresh tasting Summer Salad.

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Summer Salad

Posted on July 26, 2025 | 1 comment

I made this salad the other night and it came together so beautifully and it was very very tasty if I do say so myself. I made it with grilled chicken and bacon but if you want to keep it vegetarian you can . You can also serve chicken and bacon on the side if you’d like. It’s a yummy chopped up salad with lots of tasty items that I love together. The lemon vinaigrette dressing has a bit of kick but you can easily leave out the crushed red pepper. I used fresh butter lettuce but any lettuce will do .

Enjoy!

*this served 4

Salad Ingredients:

8 slices bacon — I used microwave bacon and cooked for 3 minutes and cooled it off and crumbled it. Of course you can use any type of bacon or omit — up to you

app. 1 /2 -1 pint blueberries

1/2 cup crumbled Feta or Goat Cheese — I hate blue cheese but if you love it use that

1 handful small cut up basil leaves

app. 4 cups farmers market lettuce or any lettuce you like — I used a soft butter lettuce this time–I tore it into small pieces

3 corn on the cobs kernels removed — leave it raw — it’s sweet and delicious

1-2 avocados — depending on the size of your avocados — I used 2 small ones

Grilled Chicken:

I used about 4 chicken breasts — small ones and brushed some olive oil and salt and pepper and a little dried oregano and grilled them on the grill for a few minutes on each side till done and set aside with aluminum till ready to serve salad and then cut up chicken into small pieces.

Lemon Vinaigrette Dressing:

I made salad dressing in my mini chopper — Perfect and easy if no mini chopper just mince garlic by hand and whisk all ingredients together adding olive oil in last slowly.

3 garlic cloves, finely minced

2 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard

1/4 cup Champagne Vinegar

3 Tablespoons fresh Lemon Juice

2 Tablespoons Honey

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt — more to taste — didn’t need it

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

I used my mini chopper and started with the garlic and put all other ingredients and added the olive at the end slowly.

Taste for salt and pepper but it was fine by me.

  • 1/2 teaspoon or more or less crushed red pepper flakes –we like kick and so did our guests so you may or may not want to use this which is fine

In a large salad bowl add in lettuce, chicken , blueberries, cheese, basil leaves, crumbled bacon, avocado and corn. Drizzle with the vinaigrette or serve salad and let your guests dress their own — up to you. Once salad is dressed serve immediately. I

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Goat Cheese Appetizer with Hot Honey, Fig and Pistachios

Posted on July 22, 2025 | Leave a comment

This recipe came to me via my friend Leslie and I just had to make it -she doesn’t use the fig but I just had to since we love the flavor. This is simple to make requiring very few ingredients (4 simple ingredients) and takes about 5 minutes to make!

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Goat Cheese Log — there are large and small ones buy the size you’ll need this recipe is based on the 11 oz. log but you can eyeball the ingredients if not right

1/4 cup shelled roasted pistachios readily available — chopped ( use a mini processor)

2 tablespoons Hot Honey — I used a mild hot honey because you gotta know your crowd — if no hot honey you can use regular honey but the hot honey adds a lot of zing

1 tablespoon fig spread (Dalmatia brand is wonderful) –or fig jam

crackers/bread for serving rosemary crackers are good or cranberry nut crackers or any kind of crackers you prefer

apple slices would also be nice — to spread goat cheese on

Directions:

On a small plate, spread out the chopped pistachios, roll goat cheese on the pistachios to coat top and sides ( works well on room temp. goat cheese –nuts will stick better) cover tops and sides with nuts —

Drizzle hot honey over cheese log

In a microwave safe dish, add the fig spread heat for 10 seconds. Drizzle over the cheese log.

Serve at room temperature with crackers and whatever else you’d like to serve with

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Peach Dump Cake

Posted on July 11, 2025 | 3 comments

I had all of these lovely peaches and wanted to make something sort of homemade without a lot of muss or fuss. This is easy as can be and delicious as can be. You’ll need about 6-8 large peaches — app. 6 cups. I threw it all together and had a yummy dessert using only 4 ingredients. The simplest peach dessert recipe ever. The most difficult part of this recipe was peeling and slicing the peaches.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

6 cups Fresh Peaches– about 6-8 large peaches — peeled and sliced

1/2 cup sugar —

1 box Vanilla – White or Yellow Cake Mix

1 stick of unsalted butter cut into thin slices

*Vanilla Ice Cream –optional but I wouldn’t serve without it

Directions:

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees

Peel and slice the peaches and place in a medium sized bowl. Toss with sugar.

Pour peaches into a prepared 9×13 baking dish ( spray with cooking spray — I love Bakers Aid for baking but anyone will do. Spread peaches out evenly. Sprinkle cake mix evenly all over the peaches.

Slice the butter into very thin pieces and place the butter over the cake mix, try to cover the entire pan with butter

Bake for 45-50 minutes until bubbly and golden.

Remove from the oven and let it sit for a bit.

Serve with Vanilla ice cream

Unfortunately we were so excited to eat it I didn’t take any good pics this time out but I will next time I make it.

I just have this one photo of it in a dessert dish with ice cream.

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Grilled Corn Salad with avocado and a simple vinaigrette

Posted on July 7, 2025 | 1 comment

It’s summertime and this salad was a perfect accompaniment to our bbq steak. I love grilled corn — I just put this corn on the cob on the grill for about 10 minutes — don’t burn it just get char marks all over to the best of your ability. You can adapt this salad to anything you’d like to add or subtract — you can add radishes instead of onions, bell peppers, cucumbers( I’d use the Persian type of cuke ) this is what I did last night and it was delicious and fresh tasting. You can also use any type of dressing you’d like. I used basil but you can easily substitute cilantro.

Enjoy!

Salad:

3 ears grilled corn — removed from the cob

1 ripe avocado cubed or diced – add to salad right before serving

3/4 cup crumbled feta

1 cup tomatoes — I cut small grape tomatoes in 1/2

1/2 cup red onion – diced

Handful of fresh basil — cut up

Vinaigrette:

1/4 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil

4 Tablespoons red wine or apple cider vinegar or champagne vinegar

1 teaspoon garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

For the salad: mix together all of the above ingredients in a bowl

Whisk together vinaigrette ingredients or place in a small jar with fitted lid and shake to combine. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust

When ready to serve the salad, add the avocado and however much dressing you’d like and gently toss I used very little dressing just enough to coat vegetables and I have leftover dressing.

* I had leftover salad so I picked out any left over avocado in it because it would turn bad the next day and the salad will last for a few days as is

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A Berry Patriotic Trifle

Posted on July 4, 2025 | 1 comment

I made this for the Fourth of July a few years ago and it was so very pretty and pretty yummy too. I honestly didn’t care how good it tasted because it looked that good but it really was very yummy. Very easy to make and no baking involved. Perfect for the Fourth or Labor Day or really any old time . Actually this would be lovely made with all blackberries , all strawberries and just serve it any old time if you’re not feeling the Patriotic theme. It’s delicious and an easy solution for dessert for those summer bbq’s.

You’ll need a Trifle Bowl — worth the investment.

Happy Fourth of July America! Land of the Free because of the Brave!

Ingredients:

1 store bought angel food cake

For the syrup:

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup water

1/4 tsp. Almond Extract

Whipped Cream Cheese:

2/3 cup sugar

1 lb. Cream cheese , at room temperature

2 cups Heavy Cream, at room temperature

Fruit:

2 pints blueberries

2 pints strawberries, hulled and sliced

Directions:

Heat 1/4 cup sugar, lemon juice , and 1/4 cup water in a saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and stir in the almond extract.

Cut the pre made angel cake into 1 ” slices

Brush both sides of the sliced cake with syrup — I put on a rimmed baking sheet to do this

Cut the slices into 1″ cubes

Beat 2/3 cup sugar and the cream cheese with a mixer with paddle attachment on medium speed until smooth and light. Add the cream and beat on medium-high speed until smooth and the consistency of whipped cream

Arrange half of the cake cubes in the bottom a 13 cup trifle dish. Sprinkle evenly with a layer of blueberries. Dollop half of the cream mixture over the blueberries and gently spread

Top with a layer of strawberries

Layer the remaining cake cubes on top of the strawberries. Then sprinkle with more blueberries

Top with remaining whipped cream and finish with the remaining strawberries and blueberries, arranging them in a decorative pattern. Cover and refrigerate for at least a few hours. Overnight is perfect and what I recommend.

Like I said any berries will do , it’s a lovely dessert.

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My Most fav Lemon vinaigrette

Posted on June 24, 2025 | 3 comments

I am a huge fan of lemons and citrus flavor and this salad dressing hits all the flavors that I love I even throw a 1/2 teaspoon of Honey in there for that sweet hit. If you want to omit the honey you can and you can substitute it with maple syrup if you’d like. This blows away store bought dressing and gotta say a little effort is involved but super easy, you can double on it if you’d like. You’re going to make this dressing again and again and again it’s easy versatile and delicious. You can drizzle it on a salad, a grains bowl, salmon, and veggies it will pep up anything and keeps well in the fridge. Enjoy! and you’re welcome.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 garlic clove , minced

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard – I usually use a heaping teaspoon

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt or sea salt

a dash of freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon honey or maple syrup

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

I put all ingredients except for olive oil in my mini processor, then drizzle in the olive oil give it a few whirls and it should be fine. If no little processor whisk in a small bowl and add olive oil slowly whisking as you go. The mini processor is a must for me does the garlic and whisks it all together.

I then put in a jar with a tight fitting lid ( see photo) and shake to combine before serving. It should stay good for a week in the fridge. Olive oil will solidify a bit but just take it out of fridge before serving to soften .

Enjoy!

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Cowboy Caviar

Posted on June 22, 2025 | 2 comments

This is a great dip as an appetizer with chips but I served it as a side dish alongside my chicken fajitas along with some chips. Ingredients can be swapped out to use what you like or don’t like just try and keep the quantities the same. I couldn’t find black eyed peas so used pinto beans and it was fine. I love a bit of spicy so used a jalapeño and I love cilantro but so many people don’t like it so I left it out this time. It ‘s very delicious and other than a bit of chopping up veggies which can be done ahead it’s super easy! You can add some fresh avocado chunks at the end right before serving and you can make a day ahead and maybe drain some of the liquid before serving, it’s almost better the next day since flavors meld overnight. A squeeze of fresh lime would also be nice. I wouldn’t omit the sugar as the amount is so small in relation to the whole recipe that health concerns are negligible. The sugar adds overall flavor and adds a balance between the acidity and the saltiness flavor. Have fun with this recipe no matter how you do it — no right and no wrong here do it your way. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

for the dressing:

1/3 cup Olive Oil

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

3-4 garlic cloves -minced

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

Kosher Salt and black pepper

For the Salad:

3 plum tomatoes, cored , seeded if desired and diced — you can also use halved cherry tomatoes and use about 1/2 pint

1/2 red onion, finely diced — app. 3/4 up

1 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 15 oz. can black eyed peas , rinsed and drained– I used Pinto because I couldn’t find black eyed peas out here in CO whatever beans you like you can even use 2 cans of black beans

1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels ( about 3-4 cobs) or thawed drained frozen sweet corn about 8 oz. or even roasted corn ( Trader Joes) if you like it and can get it– I used 4 cobs of fresh corn which is so abundant right now

1 red, green, or orange or yellow bell pepper, seeded and finely diced

1 jalapeno, seeded and finely diced *

*1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves plus more for garnish — totally optional

1 scallion, white and green parts, added at the end before serving for garnish

*tortilla chips, for serving also optional

Directions:

Make the dressing: In a medium bowl, whisk the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper to combine– set aside

Add the tomatoes, red onion, drained and rinsed beans, corn, bell pepper, jalapeño, and if you’re using cilantro, Toss to combine with dressing and season for salt and pepper. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving or even overnight.

To serve, take out of fridge, toss well and taste for seasonings. Sprinkle with scallions and if you’re serving as a dip or even as a side dish it’s great with tortilla chips. ( everything is better with chips)

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Baked Shrimp with Feta

Posted on June 20, 2025 | 1 comment

This tasted as good as any Greek Restaurant dish I’ve had. I know the Italians think it’s against the law to put cheese on seafood but gratefully the Greeks don’t. This is super tasty and very easy to make. I served over orzo and it was perfect. I ordered my shrimp cleaned and de-veined and used very large (under 10 white shrimp). I used San Marzano canned tomatoes and delicious Greek Feta Cheese. The only thing I forgot to order was some fresh mint to sprinkle on top.

Ingredients:

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

4 nice size garlic cloves, minced

Salt and Pepper –Use Kosher Salt and Freshly ground black pepper

1 large can San Marzano Tomatoes in juice –28 oz. size can

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 lb. large shrimp, peeled and de-veined. I used under 10’s and white shrimp. You can stretch this for more people with another 1/2 lb. which will probably get you to 3-4 people as a main dish. Figure 4 shrimp per person. Also the orzo stretches this as well.

1/2 lb. Greek Feta Cheese

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

*2 Tablespoons roughly chopped fresh mint

Orzo according to package directions

Directions:

Put 4 Tablespoons Olive Oil in a wide skillet over medium heat . Add the garlic and season with salt and pepper. ( about 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper) You’ll want to season properly because shrimp and tomatoes need salt but remember feta is salty. Lower heat and allow garlic to soften in pan, sometimes I actually turn off the heat and let garlic just sit there for a few mins.

Open can of tomatoes and pour into saucepan with olive oil and garlic. I cut the tomatoes in 1/2 . I added more salt and pepper and red pepper flakes. I cooked the tomatoes stirring occasionally till very soft about 12-15 mins.

Put shrimp in a mixing bowl and add 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil and season with salt , pepper and if you’d like you can add a little more red pepper flakes here.

Put tomato mixture into a large earthenware baking dish.

Arrange shrimp over tomato mixture in one layer. I diced up my cheese and sprinkled over the surface and I sprinkled dried oregano . ( See photo) You can crumble cheese or dice it up — either way is fine.

I baked for 12 minutes and then put it on broil for another 3-4 minutes till tomatoes were bubbling and cheese got a little brown.

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