Author: Tracey

Ponzu-Marinated Shrimp Skewers with Nectarine Chutney

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We are officially in the thick of summer! It is hot, hot, hot and when it’s like this, we try our best to cook everything outside on the grill so that we don’t heat up the house! I’m sure many of you can relate! So, with that in mind, I wanted to make a dish that was easy to make, yet so bold and flavorful that even my husband, who had declared himself “not a fan of shrimp” would become a believer! Sweet, succulent shrimp is marinated in a bath of cilantro, Thai basil, garlic and Ponzu; grilled over a hot flame, then topped off with a sweet and spicy nectarine chutney! It’s a perfect summer meal–light, flavorful and kicked up with just enough spice to keep things exciting! If you’ve never had Ponzu before, you must give it a try. It is a Japanese condiment that is made from vinegar, lemon juice and sudachi, a Japanese citrus fruit. It has a light citrusy flavor that really compliments the shrimp; plus, the ponzu doesn’t “cook” the shrimp the way …

Honeyed Fig and Feta French Toast

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Last week, figs made an unexpected appearance at the grocery store.  I was pretty sure that last year, the figs didn’t arrive until late August, early September, so I was a little bit dubious about such an early arrival.  But, since figs are one of those, here-and-gone-in-a-minute kinds of fruits, I just had to buy some just in case they were in season and I had my dates wrong!  It turns out that California fig season started a little early this year because of a very warm winter.  Figs have a very short shelf life which I found out first hand when I opened the box two days later and saw that some of them had already begun to mold! So, with a fire lit under me I knew I had to do something with them immediately.  I opened the refrigerator and the ingredients appeared to me like the digital rain of the Matrix! Bread–got it! milk, eggs, fresh blueberries and what have we here…ah, a chunk of feta cheese! Yep.  Feta cheese.  Now some of you might be thinking that sounds like crazy talk, …

My Writing Process – A Blog Tour

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Last week, my friend and fellow blogger, Libby Elder of Lemony Thyme asked me to participate in a Blog Tour.  I didn’t know what a Blog Tour was at the time, but she assured me that it was going to be fun and at the end of the tour, there would be cake!  All I had to do was answer 4 simple questions about my “writing process” and then introduce the world to a few blogs out there that inspire me.  So, since there was a promise of cake and it’s always fun to share about other bloggers whom I admire, I took the bait.  The first thing I thought was, “do I even have a writing process?” I mean, if “writing process” is defined by banging my head on my computer keyboard several times while a plaintive moan issues from my throat, then YES I do have one of those! I just wasn’t sure if that process would be very helpful to anyone else, let alone me. First, let me tell you a little bit about Libby. …

Happy Father’s Day! Cherry Drop Martini

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Oh, fresh cherries…I am not done with you yet!  I am going to make the most of you while you’re in season, eating these glittering jewels by the bagful; baking them into a pie, smashing them into a cocktail.  Cherry season is too short, so I shall make hay while the sun shines. This drink is so smooth.  A perfect balance of sweetness and strength.  Just like Dad.  I made this cocktail with both white vermouth and red vermouth and they both resulted in a really fine drink.  The red vermouth brings out the deeper, darker cherry notes and the white vermouth is bright and sweet.  You can’t go wrong with either one. So, make your Dad (or whoever represents a father in your life) a drink and let him relax today–he deserves it!

My First Ever Blog Award: The Liebster Award!

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I was completely taken aback when I came home from vacation last month to find that I had been nominated for a Liebster Award by my good friend Dana Fashina of I’ve Got Cake.  Now, for those of you who are not familiar with this award, I’ll try my best to explain it.  The Liebster Award is an award that is given to bloggers who have under 1000 followers as a way to promote their blogs and spread a little Blogger Love around the Internet.  Since this is my first ever blog award, you’d think I’d be bouncing off the walls to get started on my acceptance speech!  But, the honest truth was that I procrastinated long and hard on it.  Mostly because I was nervous about sharing 11 random facts about myself!  Now that I’ve written them out, though, they aren’t quite as scary as they first seemed.  I think maybe everyone has an inner weirdo that they are little bit nervous to let out in public…ok, actually maybe not everyone….because, reality shows.  So, while this …

Chocolate Cherry Crisp from “Bountiful”

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I really want to tell you about this Chocolate Cherry Crisp that I made from White on Rice Couple’s cookbook, Bountiful.  I want to tell you about these gorgeous cherries and about how excited I am that cherries are back in season and are inexpensive enough that you won’t have to take out a home equity line of credit just to buy a bag! I want to tell you how absolutely luscious this crumble is–how the sweet, tender cherries and rich dark chocolate smoosh together perfectly under that crumbly topping.  But before I do any of that, I want to tell you that I am having the hardest time writing these days.  I’m not sure what’s causing my words to jam up inside of me like a spoonful of cold peanut butter, but they are.  I mean, I just used the word “smoosh” in a sentence and I’m 100% sure that’s not a real word, but it’s going to have to stay that way, because the other word I’m thinking of just vanished into thin air.  Have …

Lavender-Thyme Lemonade Fizz

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It’s hot out here!  Ok, it’s not hot enough for me to complain about it yet, but it’s still pretty toasty with temperatures hovering in the triple digits.  I’ll reserve my complaints for when it’s around 110 degrees in the shade; but for now, I’ll just relax and have something refreshing, like this Lavender Thyme Lemonade Fizz. It’s bright and crisp and refreshing, like lemonade always is, but made special with fresh thyme and lavender from the garden! This very grown-up lemonade is a lovely sipper that’s not too strong and perfect for weekends spent in the hot summer sun! Remember a few weeks ago when we made Lavender-Vanilla Infused Vodka? Well, you’re going to need it for this recipe, so run and go get it now!  I’ll wait… Ok, now that you have it in hand, you’ll need about a half of a cup of lavender infused vodka for this recipe. If you like a stronger drink, add additional plain vodka–lavender is a very assertive flavor so a little goes a long way. Along with …