It all started because I needed to come up with something fast for our first football tailgate gathering of the year. Hmmm…thoughts circled around a bar cookie of sorts, but it had to be something I could tuck into a Ziplock bag for munching on during the game (you know, if it went on FOREVER). I saw a recipe for Pecan Bars…close, but not exactly hitting the spot. Hey, wait a second! Let’s capitalize on what’s right in our own back yard. Did you know that Oregon is the largest producer of hazelnuts in the world? All the more reason to give them a spin. And so, the Milk Chocolate Hazelnut Bar was born.
A thin and rich crust that will remind you a little of shortbread. But the star of this show is the hazelnuts, and there are a ton of them. First lightly oiled, salted, and roasted, and then roughly chopped and stirred into a magical combination of, among other things, brown sugar and milk chocolate. This will blow your mind and I’m not kidding. To make it even easier, all of this can be made in one bowl. No mixer. No food processor. Just you, a bowl and a spoon. Have at it.
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Have you ever heard the term ‘Necessity is the mother of invention’? Well, my mother, 
It is often said that ingredients from the same region naturally go well together. Such is definitely the case with salmon and blackberries. In this recipe, we season fresh salmon filets with salt and white pepper, then drizzle with olive oil and either grill or oven roast. When ready to serve, we drizzle with a rich and savory blackberry sauce that has been infused with fresh lime and ginger, and add a nice scoop of Garlic Dill Compound Butter….just think about that melting all over the salmon OH MY! Grab a napkin!!
FINALLY!!! Our tomato harvest is in full swing, bushes are loaded, and they are demanding attention. If you are in the same boat as I am, here is an answer to your dilemma. I have canned tomatoes for nearly forty years, and was desperate to find an easier, less messy and time consuming way to deal with them. Enter our two ingredient, slow cooker tomato sauce – truly the easiest and most delicious tomato sauce I’ve ever eaten. Throw it into a crockpot, and after it’s cooked down by half, blend the living daylights out of it, and freeze. No seeding, no peeling – just pure tomato.
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Quiche is kind of a lost recipe, and I’m not sure exactly why that is. For sure, it’s a rich indulgence you probably won’t want to eat every day, but there are times when it’s a perfect remedy to right what is wrong in our worlds. Here’s my attempt to make it summery, and to lighten it up quite a bit. You will notice the standard piecrust that is traditional in these matters is missing – its just not my thing and makes me feel like too big of a food sinner if I eat it. In its place is a fairly thin, savory bottom crust made of grated Parmesan cheese and panko breadcrumbs. The inside is creamy with farm fresh eggs, half&half, and more herbs than you can shake a stick at. There is also a treasure trove of roasted zucchini and sautéed peppers and green onions. I’ve thrown in enough Jarlsberg and Mozzarella cheese to add that gooey element that is necessary in these matters. Finally, there’s an herb garden pesto you can drizzle on right before you dive in that give just the right amount of fresh, lemony kick to make every element sing at the top of its lungs together. I’m diggin’ it. 
I love cake. I love cherries. And now, in the height of cherry season, I can often be found lurking around the refrigerator and pulling out several handfuls of those dark red gems to stuff in my mouth when nobody is looking. The dilemma became this – is there a way to enjoy both cake and cherries without losing any of that fresh cherry goodness? I think this may just do it. The cake base resembles a pound cake (we need something heavy duty to hold up all those cherries), and for some added personality there is shredded coconut, vanilla, and almond extract. This I could eat all on its’ own and be quite happy. However, we can’t forget the cherries! The little extra work of pitting and slicing beautiful dark red cherries in half is well worth the effort. No sugar added to this layer – those berries are sweet enough all on their own. To top it off, the crumb layer has a generous amount of ground almonds that will keep you coming back for one more bite….at least I do. 
I’ll let you in on a little secret…of all the tons of appetizers I have made in my day; this is hands down the favorite of everybody. A lot of other smoked salmon recipes call for both a brine and a rub before smoking, but that just seemed like way too much work, so I just decided to combine the brine and the rub ingredients into one easy step. And here you have it. Don’t have a Smoker? No problem. You can easily turn your charcoal or gas grill into a smoker that will work beautifully, and I’ve included some ‘how-to’ links so you can check it out. You might want to make twice as much as you think you’ll need. If your guests are anything like mine, this will be gone within minutes of setting it out – my guests have no shame.