American

The peanut butter cheesecake is no-bake, so this is a pretty simple dessert without a ton of hands on time. It does need to chill for four hours before serving, though, so keep that in mind!

I’m going to have to insist that y’all try this recipe. It’s a keeper. I only added 1 seeded jalapeno and couldn’t taste it at all. I’d bump it up to 2 or leave some seeds in for an extra kick, but I’m going to write the recipe as I made it. Just adjust to your liking! This also feeds a small army, so feel free to halve the recipe or plan to reheat the leftovers for lunch the next day.

We usually do a traditional beef chili, but I saw this in my google reader and decided to give it a try. One word - amazing!

It is made in the crockpot - my favorite preparation method.  This only took 5 minutes to throw together before work.  You could even mix it up the night before and just turn the crockpot on before heading out the door.   The chili was delicious!  It was even great reheated for lunch the next day.

This slushy punch requires no ice ring to keep it cold. It's not too sweet, so it appeals to everyone. Use this refreshing beverage for any celebration.

Apple Fritter Cake.
Cake that derived from a breakfast food, shape-shifted into a cake, disguised as dessert.

While tomato soup recipes often call for tomatoes in myriad forms (fresh, roasted, canned, pasted, sun-dried, pureed or chopped, just to name a few), this soup intentionally highlights the gorgeous, perfectly-ripe tomatoes that currently grace our local markets. The last of the late summer crop are arguably the best tomatoes of the year (perhaps second only to the long awaited first bite in June). The heat truly brings out the sweetness of this often under-appreciated fruit. And in this recipe, the tomato is the star, giving the soup and flavor a brightness that off-season or canned tomatoes just can’t beat.

I also knew that I wanted to make a galette and I wanted to have pears in it. I seem to recall my mum making a blackberry pear jam when we were kids and I thought it would be a really good flavour combination. And I’d never made a galette but they always look so beautiful.  I also knew I wanted to use goat cheese and I got the idea for sweetening it with honey from this Food Network recipe.  As a total aside, did you know that Melissa is actually Greek for honey bee and Meli (my nickname) is Greek for honey?  Appropriate, yes?

Looking for a delicious appetizer?  Just listen to this...bundles of asparagus with roasted red peppers and a creamy filling, wrapped in golden puff pastry.  Trust us, they taste even better than they sound.

The family loves this dish. It comes out juicy with amazing flavor. With the gravy over top, you can't beat it. This dish requires you to start it 24 hours in advance. I start this dish for the next day after I finish cleaning up dinner from that night. 

Butter with fish. I MEAN fish with butter! That's it.