Dinner In The Garden ~ A Summer Dinner Party

In true Minnesota summer fashion, it drizzled almost all day long. It was the day of our Dinner party and normally it wouldn't be that big of a deal, but this dinner party was planned to be outside, to celebrate summer, or what was supposed to be our summer. Then it broke. No more rain, a warm evening with just a light breeze. No bugs in sight and then the sun even broke out of the clouds and poured over our beautiful garden, providing the perfect evening to sit on the patio, surrounded by lush greenery and celebrate the fresh foods of the season.

Blog Anniversary, Ribs and a Tribute to Dad

 

I can't believe I've been doing this for a year now. A year ago today I began my food blogging journey and here I am today; 73 posts later, countless recipes, exciting food events and many new friends along the way. Above all, a little clearer vision and a hope that I'll still be enjoying this for many years to come.

In my first post last year I paid tribute to two of my culinary inspirations, my Mom and my Grandma. Today, coming off a great Father's Day weekend, I think it's appropriate to pay tribute to another inspiration, in the kitchen as well as life; My Dad.

Butternut Squash, Rosemary and Parmesan Risotto

Risotto is my ultimate comfort food. I love the process of cooking it and then it is simply an amazing dish to eat. Risotto is typically made with Arborio rice, which as it cooks becomes rich and creamy but still keeps a nice bite to it. I love cooking risotto because it takes some time to cook it but it's not overly complicated and just gives me some time to enjoy the process and watch the dish come together.

Red Velvet Cake

I never had Red Velvet cake until after I was married which basically means I lost 22 years of eating the best cake in the world. This cake shows up for pretty much every birthday in my wife's family so I got my fair share in pretty short time. I'm typically not a huge cake fan, so if I'm I'm going to eat cake, it had better be good. This Red Velvet is about the only cake I truly look forward to eating. It's light, fluffy and moist with a light chocolate flavor and the frosting is what really sets it apart. It's roux based, meaning it's made from a flour and milk mixture that is cooked first and then whipped into the rest of the frosting. The result is a velvety smooth creme with a flavor that is unlike anything I've ever had before.

DOLE Banana Night at Caribe Bistro and Pique Recipe

Are there more to banana's than breakfast and lunch? DOLE is on a nationwide tour to prove that there is. On May 26th I was invited to participate in a dinner put on by DOLE, Caribe Bistro and Food Blogger Shaina from Food For My Family.

Northwest Cherry Dutch Oven Stew

Each year our church does a Father and Sons camp out where we get to spend some time with just the boys. We typically cook our own dinner but it kind of ends up being a potluck where everyone shares whatever they brought. Of course there are the usual hotdogs and such but the last few years we've tried to do a few different things with our dutch oven. Last year my Father in Law was in town from Seattle and they suggested this Northwest Cherry Stew recipe that they had done a few times. We tried it out and and it was a huge hit with everyone.