Okay, so this may seem like a bit of a nothing post, but we were so pleased with the way the Sautéed Tomatoes turned out we just had to mention it – saucy, sweet, and savory…they were a revelation. Another gentle reminder that sometimes simplicity is best.

And though simple it may be, we think this is a fantastic (maybe perfect) weekend breakfast: lightly Scrambled Eggs, some sauteed Cherry Tomatoes with a little Parmesan Cheese and some hearty whole grain toast. After sautéeing the Tomatoes come out of the pan sweet and juicy and once they burst the juices reduce and concentrate and they take on a wonderful silky/saucy quality. A pinch of Kosher Salt, some cracked Black Pepper, and a dusting of finely grated Parmesan over the top rounds out the flavors nicely.

It’s an easy and relaxed breakfast that leaves you more time to enjoy the morning. Add a newspaper or a nice chat (or the internet), and a steaming cup of freshly-brewed coffee and you’ve got yourself a reason to linger at the breakfast table for a bit.

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This may be one of the richest (and best) ways to serve Artichokes ever: steamed, cored, and stuffed with a heavenly blend of Bleu Cheese, Cream, and Thyme. Top it all with a crunchy/savory layer of Parmesan, Breadcrumbs, and even more Thyme, then roast it…whew!

Essentially it’s an Artichoke with a creamy little fondue pot inside. Diners peel the leaves off of the outside and dip them into the crunchy, gooey Bleu Cheese goodness on the inside. Read more »

A while back our friend Kristine gave us a package of Harry & David’s Scone Mix which, sadly, languished in our pantry for quite some time before we got around to making them. Though we’ve always enjoyed the results of baking, we’ve never spent much time at it and the scone mix fell victim to our laziness.

However, on one particularly low-budget Sunday we pulled them out, whipped them up, and fell instantly in love with Scones. They were steamy and warm and soaked up the melting butter and jam that we’d slathered them with. They were delicious. We ate them all that day between the 3 of us.

That experience led us to load up on several packages the next time we swung by the Woodburn Outlets where the Harry & David’s store is located. After a few more scone-filled weekends passed we decided to give a from-scratch recipe a shot and – behold! – Gavin & Julie’s Sunday Morning Scones. Read more »

Giada recently had a deliciously different and simple salad on her show that needed only sliced fresh Mushrooms, shaved Parmesan, and a very simple Lemon Juice & Olive Oil dressing. It was so elegant and fresh tasting that we loved it right away, and leaving the Mushrooms raw gave it a lighter than air texture.

Of course it’s us, so we immediately began to think of ways that we could tweak it by adding a little of this or that. Julie right away struck upon the idea of adding Orecchiette pasta, White Beans, and some sweet little Green Peas to build it up a bit and our new favorite summer Pasta Salad was born.

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This recipe was originally stolen from Sister Amy who over the last few years has blossomed into a seriously top-notch cook. The Tuscan White Bean Soup she made was fabulous, and it was actually the vehicle for our first Garlic Crostini (which we should probably credit her for, too).

However, since we’ve never learned to leave well enough alone we, of course, tweaked it a little. Read more »