fig salad with goat cheese and baby arugula

 

Excellent salad.  Hall of Fame!  The fresh figs from the tree is what did it for me.  To pick fruit and put it right into our dinner just felt right.  The cheese and toasty nuts too.  Excellent combination.  I grilled some chicken and added it to my salad.  Lovely addition.

fig salad with goat cheese and baby arugula (striped spatula)

1/2 cup pecans, toasted in the oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes

vinaigrette:

1 1/2 teaspoons minced shallots

1 to 1 1 /2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon honey

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt or fine sea salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

fig salad:

4 large fresh figs

5 cups baby arugula

2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

Make the vinaigrette by stirring together shallots, 1 tablespoon vinegar, honey, salt and pepper.  Drizzle in oil.

Taste the dressing and if you like a more tart flavor, add additional vinegar.  Season to taste with additional salt and pepper.

Assemble the salad by cutting the stems from the figs and slice in quarters.

Toss baby arugula with the toasted walnuts and half the vinaigrette.  Arrange the figs on the top of the salad and drizzle with remaining vinaigrette.  Sprinkle the salad with crumbled goat cheese.

If desired, finish the salad with  a few grinds of cracked black pepper and a few pinches of sea salt.

Serve immediately.

frozen sour grapes

 

In my produce box I received two boxes of grapes- cotton candy grapes and red grapes.  That's a lot of grapes for three people when in addition we have lots of grapes growing in our garden.  I decided to try making frozen sour grapes.  It was fun and super easy!!  I used both types of grapes.

frozen sour grapes

2 cups grapes, rinsed and dried

2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice (I used lemon)

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1-1 1/2 teaspoons food grade citric acid

In a bowl combine grapes and lemon juice.  Mix to combine.

On a small platter combine sugar and citric acid.

Roll the grapes around in the sugar/citric acid mixture.

Place the grapes in a single layer on a small tray and put in the freezer for 2 hours.

chicken feta bake

 

I loved the lemony, herby flavor of this dish and it was quick to throw together.  I added more veggies than the original recipe and was glad I did.  The image above is unbaked.  

chicken feta bake (adapted from oh snap macros)

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed

1 medium zucchini, cubed

1-2 Roma tomatoes, cubed (I prefer Roma to cherry tomatoes)

1/2 cup jarred red pepper strips

1/4 cup kalamata olives

handful of baby spinach, stems removed

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 large lemon, juiced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon paprika

salt and pepper

8 ounce block of feta cheese

parsley for garnish (I had dill so I used fresh dill and it was great!)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Add the cubed chicken, zucchini, tomatoes, red pepper strips, olives, and spinach.  Top with olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, paprika, salt and pepper and mix together evenly to coat.

Make a hole in the center and lay the block of cheese in the center (I didn't have a block so used feta crumbles and just mixed them up).  Place in the oven and bake for 25 minutes.

Remove from the oven, break the cheese up and stir into the mixture.  Mix everything to combine and place back in the oven for 5 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked through.  Serve over rice or pasta.

strawberry peach jam (no pectin)

 

I'm pretty sure that AI created this recipe but it's fine because it's awesome! I was searching for a strawberry peach jam without pectin.  I've never made this fruit combo and I've never tried a recipe without pectin so it was an experiment.  One that worked! This jam is delicious.  The peaches were home grown by my husband and the strawberries came with my produce from a co-op.  I've got some loaves of bread rising right now for some homemade bread and jam this evening.

strawberry peach jam

4 cups strawberries (I blended them in the Vita-mix)

4 cups peaches (blended them in the Vita-mix with the peels on)

4 cups sugar

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Combine fruit, sugar and lemon juice in a large pot.

Let the ingredients simmer for 10 minutes to meld the flavors together.

Boil to dissolve the sugar.

Reduce heat and cook for 25-35 minutes.

Ladle in to jars.  Top with lids.

Process in a steamer for 10 minutes.

Yield: 7 jam jars

lemon-garlic salmon and broccoli bowls

 

Hall of Fame!  Best thing I've eaten all week.  By far.

The sauce does the trick- the fresh dill is so delicous!

lemon-garlic salmon and broccoli bowls (EatingWell)

4 cups broccoli florets

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1 teaspoon salt, divided

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper, divided

1/4 cup Greek style plain yogurt

2 tablespoons light sour cream

4 teaspoons lemon juice

2 teaspoons dijon mustard

1 teaspoon finely chopped dill, plus extra for serving (I used 2 teaspoons in the sauce)

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

4 (5 ounce) skinless and boneless salmon fillets, cut into 1 1/2" chunks.

3 cups hot cooked brown rice

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil.  Toss 4 cups of broccoli with 1 tablespoon oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper on the prepared baking sheet until evenly coated.  Spread into an even layer.  Roast for 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine 1/4 cup yogurt, 2 tablespoons sour cream, 4 teaspoons lemon juice, 2 teaspoons mustard, 1 teaspoon dill, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small bowl; stir until smooth.

Place salmon chunks in a medium bowl.  Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil (I omitted), 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.  Toss to coat.  Remove the baking sheet from the oven; push the broccoli to one side and arrange the salmon in a single layer on the other side.

Roast until the salmon flakes easily with a fork, 6-8 minutes.

Divide 3 cups rice among 4 shallow bowls.  Top with salmon and broccoli.  Spoon the sauce over the top.  Garnish with additional dill, if desired.

roasted carrots

 

Such a simple recipe but so delicous!

roasted carrots  (love and lemons)

1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 2" barrels

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  In a large bowl, toss the carrots with olive oil, maple syrup, salt and several grinds of pepper.

Transfer the carrots to the baking sheet and spread in a single layer.  Roast for 15-25 minutes, or until fork-tender and lightly browned but not mushy.  Remove from the oven and season to taste.  Garnish with parsley and serve.

crispy homemade seasoned steak fries

 

So I cooked them a little too long.  That's alright.  It didn't stop my two youngest and a friend from eating all of them alongside a sandwich for lunch.  GREAT recipe!

crispy homemade seasoned steak fries (Costco Connection, July 2026)

1 pound russet potatoes

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon Montreal steak seasoning (I used the lower salt version)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Scrub the potatoes and dry.  Cut each potato into wedges.  Quarter the the potatoes lengthwise, then slice each wedge 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick.

Add the potato wedges to a large bowl with the oil and steak seasoning.  Use a wooden spoon to toss the potato wedges until they are coated well. 

Spread the seasoned fries on the baking sheet in a single layer.  Bake for 30 minutes or until the fries are browned and crispy.  Makes 4 servings.