Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen

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Grilled Cheeseburgers with Watermelon-Feta Salad & Pickled Watermelon Rind

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Fire up the grill and satisfy your watermelon craving with this comfort food classic.

I love burgers, and I love watermelon. Together, they're great! We enjoyed this Blue Apron meal, but I definitely felt like it was a bit too much watermelon.

The pickled watermelon rind was great. Sweet and tangy and delicious. And feta and watermelon go great together, so we enjoyed the salad.

Grilled Cheeseburgers with Watermelon-Feta Salad & Pickled Watermelon Rind

The burgers were good, but nothing too special. I liked the addition of Dijon in the meat. My husband grilled them up outside, and the cheese got nice and melty and delicious.

I think I'd make components of this meal again, but probably not all together as one meal.

  • 9 Ounces Ground Beef
  • 2 Sesame Seed Buns
  • 2 Ounces Arugula
  • 2½ Pounds Watermelon
  • 1 Red Onion
  • 2 Slices Cheddar Cheese
  • 2 Tablespoons Crumbled Feta Cheese
  • 2 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
  • 2 Teaspoons Dijon Mustard
  • 1 Tablespoon Sugar

See Blue Apron for the full recipe.

3 Layer Nutella S'mores Pound Cake

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Thank you Sara Lee Desserts for sponsoring this post! Click here for more deliciously easy recipe ideas. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.

Bring the fun of this campfire favorite indoors with this quick, delicious, toasty treat!

3 Layer Nutella S'mores Pound Cake

Growing up, my stepmom used to make this dessert that always blew my mind. It looked SO. FANCY. And she was able to put it together in just a few minutes with minimal ingredients.

She let me in on her secret - she would take a Sara Lee frozen pound cake, thaw it, slice it into 3 layers and put fresh whipped cream in between the layers and all over the outside of it. She would make these pretty decorations with the tines of a fork that really made it look special.

And none of us had any idea how easy it was to put together!

3 Layer Nutella S'mores Pound Cake

When Sara Lee approached me about developing a simple, delicious recipe to showcase how I would customize their frozen pound cake, I knew I wanted to take my stepmom's idea and turn it up a notch.

Because who doesn't love s'mores?

Or Nutella?

Or pound cake?

3 Layer Nutella S'mores Pound Cake

My family loves to go camping, and making s'mores is a key ingredient of any camping trip.

But what if we're at home on a Friday night, jonesin' for some toasty marshmallow goodness without wanting to deal with an open flame or loads of mosquitoes?

This pound cake is the answer! It's super simple to put together with just a frozen pound cake and 3 pantry staples: graham crackers, Nutella & marshmallow fluff.

3 Layer Nutella S'mores Pound Cake

This cake couldn't be simpler to make. You sandwich layers of Nutella and crushed graham crackers between each slice of pound cake, then "frost" the outside of the whole thing with marshmallow fluff.

A quick trip under the broiler gets the marshmallow coating nice and toasty. You can use as much or as little of each ingredient as you like - it's guaranteed to be delicious any way you slice it!

3 Layer Nutella S'mores Pound Cake

My first try at toasting the marshmallow fluff was a bit... less than ideal. Let's just say that a quick trip under the broiler is a much better way to get this type of marshmallow nice and toasty. I had a melty (yet still delicious!) mess on my hands when I tried baking at a lower temperature.

Just make sure you keep your eye on the cake while it's under the broiler so you can pull it out of the oven before it gets TOO dark. The marshmallow coating may puff up a bit, so make sure you have it close (but not too close) to your broiler's heating element. It'll deflate once it's out of the oven.

I bet that with a kitchen blowtorch, I'd have a little more control over the dark areas here, but that complicates things a bit. Plus I don't own one. And my tiny kitchen has minimal space for gadgets.

But if I did, I'd whip up another one of these cakes immediately to test it out and get some really dark, crispy marshmallow bits! What can I say? I like my s'mores pretty burnt when we're out camping.

3 Layer Nutella S'mores Pound Cake

This cake turned out SO well! It looks super elegant, but it was really easy to put together. It would be great for a dinner party or a weeknight treat when you don't have the time or energy to whip up something too elaborate.

The sprinkling of graham cracker crumbs at the end was the perfect accompaniment. I found myself dipping each bite of layer cake into the crumbs to get just a little bit more on there.

This cake keeps well in the refrigerator for up to 5 days (if it lasts that long!). If you're pulling it out of the fridge, pop the slices in the microwave for 15 seconds to warm them ever-so-slightly, then sprinkle with graham cracker crumbs before diving in. Major yum!

What are your favorite ways to customize a frozen dessert? Head over to Sara Lee's Facebook page for lots more ideas on how to make their desserts #UniquelyYours!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Sara Lee. The opinions and text are all mine.

Grilled Steak with Spicy Latin Rub + Lapostolle Canto de Apalta Review

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A flavorful mix of spices and chipotle peppers impart bold flavors onto your steak of choice. Great with a spicy glass of Chilean red wine!

Lapostolle sent me a super fun mailer so I could try out their Canto de Apalta. It's a spicy red wine from Chile, and it was the most gorgeous intense red color. They included a recipe card for Grilled Skirt Steak with Spicy Latin Rub, and I was excited to try it out for myself!

Grilled Steak with Spicy Latin Rub

I saw 2 gorgeous organic ribeye steaks at the store, so I decided to go for those instead of skirt steak. My husband had just come home from a weeklong trip to California for work, and I figured that a big ol' grilled ribeye dinner for 2 would be the perfect way to say "welcome home!".

So of course, I asked if he wanted to fire up the grill. He was pretty excited to get the charcoal started once he saw these beautifully marinated steaks!

A photo posted by Ashley Covelli (@bigflavors) on

I maaaaaay have popped open the wine before they even hit the grill. I mean, you have to QC before and during the meal, right? For scientific purposes, of course.

Ahem.

Grilled Steak with Spicy Latin Rub

I had him throw the steaks on the grill along with some corn that I picked up from the Farmers Market. I love corn season, and this corn was super sweet. It was a great accompaniment!

I also cut up a mix of tomatoes, radishes and sweet onions, tossed them with white wine vinegar and olive oil, kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper and let topped it with thinly sliced green onions. It was a nice, cool addition to the plate.

Grilled Steak with Spicy Latin Rub

The steaks were cooked beautifully (thanks, babe!) and even our 3-year-old loved it. The blend of spices was really simple but added lots of flavor to the meat.

The wine went so beautifully with this meal. The flavor was really rich and peppery. It was also incredibly smooth. We really enjoyed this pairing!

Grilled Steak with Spicy Latin Rub

Chicken in Basil Cream

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Sweet grapes, crunchy celery and red onion adorn this herb-packed, elegant chicken salad.

My 3-year-old loves to help me pick out cookbooks from the library. Whereas I like to spend some time perusing the shelves, he usually makes a beeline for a book, picks it in less than 5 seconds, and is absolutely POSITIVE that he has chosen the perfect book for me to cook from.

And what can I say? He's been on a pretty good roll so far. And when he picked this book from Anna Pump, it ended up being a real winner! I wasn't so sure about the book at first, but I've made several delicious dishes from it now!

Chicken in Basil Cream

This chicken dish is beautifully simple and delicious. I love the sweetness of the grapes with the slight heat of the red onion, and the basil cream is packed with fresh flavor.

It was wonderful on top of lettuce that I picked up from the Farmers Market alongside some homemade ciabatta from one of the members of our Supper Club.

This held up well for a few days in the fridge. It was a big hit with both me and my husband, and was super light and fresh - perfect after some of the heavy eating we've been doing lately.

Top Chef All-Star Marcel Vigneron's Chimi-Verde Dip

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Tomatillos, fresh herbs, & avocado are blended together in this silky-smooth, spicy dip recipe courtesy of Top Chef All-Star Marcel Vigneron.

This is part 2 of a feature on my delicious experience with Chef Marcel Vigneron and the Stonefire Food Truck Tour in NYC. You can find part 1 here.

I got to try this delicious appetizer recipe with Chef Marcel last month, and it was super tasty. I was really excited to bring the recipe back home to try it out in my tiny kitchen!

Top Chef All Star Marcel Vigneron's Chimi-Verde Dip

First of all, let's talk about these naan crisps. I've talked about my love of Stonefire products before (I'm not being paid to say this - I genuinely L-O-V-E everything I've tried from them!). The naan crisps are so much fun. I've talked about them before, and I was really excited that one of my favorite flavors was paired with this silky smooth dip.

This recipe starts by simply blanching some tomatillos - popping them into boiling water for 5 minutes and then shocking them in an ice bath.

A photo posted by Ashley Covelli (@bigflavors) on

The tomatillos are then blended with a mix of fresh herbs and spices with a bit of serrano pepper for some kick.

I only used one serrano, and it was beautifully spiced. Feel free to go for it and add 2 if you really like the heat!

Top Chef All Star Marcel Vigneron's Chimi-Verde Dip

An avocado is whizzed in at the end to make it extra creamy and delicious. I really can't emphasize enough just how creamy it made this dish. YUM!

I was surprised at how quickly this recipe came together. The dip was really simple, but each ingredient added something really important to the recipe. Chef Marcel doesn't mess around!

Top Chef All Star Marcel Vigneron's Chimi-Verde Dip

This was such a fresh, vibrant way to start our meal. I loved the pairing with the sweetness of the Tandoori Spiced Naan Crisps.

It really is such an elegant appetizer - it would be perfect for any Indian or Latin themed dinner party! This recipe is guaranteed to impress with super bright, bold flavors. I hope you'll try it out in your own kitchen!

Want to win your own stash Stonefire goodies? My friends at Stonefire have agreed to offer up 5 free product coupons for my readers, so I'm giving away a set of 3 and a set of 2! To enter to win, leave a comment below telling me your favorite type of dip. The contest will close on Friday, September 18, 2015 at 12 noon (Eastern Standard Time). Two winners will be chosen via random.org and will be contacted via email to get mailing information. Prize will be shipped by the sponsor. U.S. residents only. Good luck, everyone!

UPDATE - The winners have been selected via random.org - CONGRATS to Christine P & Kirsten!

Top Chef All-Star Marcel Vigneron

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Last month, I kicked off a new series called Big Flavors from a Restaurant Kitchen. In it, I'm sitting down with chefs to chat about what inspires them in the kitchen. I'll be bringing their recipes home to cook in my tiny kitchen and will share those recipes along with my results so you can try them out for yourself!

This installment is a little bit different, because I had the chance to visit the Stonefire Food Truck Tour when it stopped in New York City in August. They're one of my favorite brands (I mean seriously, have you tasted their flatbreads?!) and they were spending the day in the Flatiron Pedestrian Plaza with Top Chef All Star Marcel Vigneron.

He was cooking up some tasty, plant-based recipes using their flatbreads and naan crisps, while music and games (including a pizza wheel that my son absolutely loved!) were there to entertain the crowds.

I got a chance to sit down with Chef Marcel to talk about what he's up to these days in the kitchen, and got the inside scoop and recipe for his Chimi-Verde Dip (which was absolutely delicious!).

Big Flavors from a Restaurant Kitchen Volume 3: Top Chef All Star Marcel Vigneron

Big Flavors: How did you get into cooking?

Marcel: Originally it started with my mom. When I was growing up, my mom was always cooking dinner at the house and whatnot. But also at a really young age, she was working at a restaurant. She used to take me to work with her at a restaurant called The Old Mill, and she would just set me on a sack of flour and I would watch her cook all day.

Big Flavors: Where was that?

Marcel: I was born in Kansas, so this was actually in Kansas. And then I started cooking with her when I was around 8. And then I started cooking professionally around 15, just working at the local diner on the island in Washington. When I graduated high school, I didn't know what I wanted to do. One of the biggest impacting factors was I took a year off before I entered college, to sort of do some soul searching and figure out what I wanted to do in life. I spent about 4 months in Europe, and that's where I came to the progressive realization that I was already doing what I wanted to be doing and that I just needed to go from a job to a career. And then I, you know, enrolled in the CIA, moved to New York... and I've just been cookin' ever since!

Big Flavors: Do you remember the first thing you cooked with your mom?

Marcel: Yeah! The first thing I ever made was pumpkin pie. I took all of her scraps - all of her leftover dough and filling and made this tiny little pumpkin pie. And I can remember presenting it to my family at the dinner table and being like, so proud. Like I made this moment.

Big Flavors: That's so cool because that's what I used to do with my grandma. She had my own little pie tin at her house, so every time we made pie I would get my own personal pie that I got to make and it was awesome.

Marcel: Yeah! That's the best!

Big Flavors: And I got that for my son now, and he loves it. He scrambles eggs... he loves being in the kitchen.

Marcel: That's great. That's cool - I love that!

Big Flavors: How do you get inspiration for new recipes?

Marcel: I draw inspiration from pretty much everywhere. I do it a lot from ingredients, so the season is a huge one for me. But it also comes from not only just the ingredients and the vegetables, but it can be the landscapes. And my mood. Oftentimes my mood, like how I'm feeling. Also who I'm cooking for. A lot of times it depends on who I'm cooking for and why I'm cooking. And then I think about what the nature of the event is, the dish.

Big Flavors: I loved the Quantum Kitchen stuff - that was so fun to see how you took their concepts that could seem really weird and out there and you totally just went there with the food. I loved that.

Marcel: Oh, thank you! It's a combination of everything. The people, the food, the ingredients, the atmosphere.

Big Flavors: What are 3 of your must-have ingredients that you always keep at home in your kitchen? 

Marcel: Real salt, like really really good salt. Lately I'm using just real sea salt. Salt is such an important ingredient, like water, that you use in almost everything and it can make such a big difference. And not all salt is created equally and not all water is created equally. When you have the really basic ingredients, it will make or break your dish. So usually really good salt, really good water and then really good olive oil. It's kind of the simple things. And then grating fresh spices is really really important. Where it makes sense and where it's applicable, using the freshest ingredients possible. Like, you know what a big difference it makes to use fresh thyme versus something that's been sitting in your pantry for a couple years.

Big Flavors: What's the last meal you cooked at home for yourself?

Marcel: You know, at home I eat pretty simply. So the last meal I made at home was, I was trying out this new organic chicken that I'm thinking about using in the restaurant - and so it was really simple. It was just a roasted chicken with brown rice and spinach. So it was super simple.

Big Flavors: Where's your restaurant?

Marcel: Los Angeles. Over on Melrose. We're working on opening up 2 right now.

Big Flavors: Are you coming to New York?

Marcel: Eventually, definitely. Yeah, I mean I love it here.

Big Flavors from a Restaurant Kitchen Volume 3: Top Chef All Star Marcel Vigneron

Big Flavors: Do you have any guilty pleasure foods?

Marcel: Ooooh…

Big Flavors: ...that you'll admit to?

Marcel: Yeah, I mean I love ice cream. I love making ice cream, I love eating ice cream. I had a moment where I was kind of addicted to sour gummy candy and that was kind of a thing for me for a while. Fortunately, I have curbed that addiction.

Big Flavors: Have you heard about the ice cream donut sandwich things that they have around here somewhere?

Marcel: No, nuh uh.

Big Flavors: I haven't tried them - I'm a little afraid. But it's like a whole donut stuffed with homemade ice cream.

Marcel: Yeah, oh wow!

Big Flavors: I mean, if you're obsessed with ice cream…

Marcel: And donuts are great, too, so I feel like you can't really go wrong with that one.

A photo posted by Ashley Covelli (@bigflavors) on

Big Flavors: What's a food trend that you're sick of?

Marcel: Hmmm… a food trend that I'm sick of. Wow, that's a really tough one. I don't know if there are any trends that I'm sick of. Hmm… I'm trying to think of what I would NOT be into…

Big Flavors: The last chef I asked yelled KALE before I even got the question out of my mouth.

Marcel: I don't know... kale's not it, because I feel like when it's actually used appropriately, it can be really great. The improper use of kale could potentially be one of them, because it is rough, so you do have to treat it a little bit differently. A lot of people don't really realize that eating raw kale that hasn't been massaged or cooked or juiced or whatever can be kind of rough on the digestive system.

But I'm not really into bell peppers. It was a trend back in the day, early 2000, chefs thought that dishes needed color so we would just be sprinkling bell peppers on everything for color. Just raw bell peppers, and it was gnarly, you know because there's some very strong flavors there. So I'm over bell peppers.

Big Flavors: What's an ingredient that you think has an unfairly bad reputation?

Marcel: Hmmm… [pause]

Big Flavors: I feel like tofu is one that gets a bad reputation, but it's because a lot of people just cut it up and throw it in things and they don't actually do anything with it.

Marcel: Yeah, tofu could definitely be one of them. I actually use tofu in a lot of my sauces. It makes them creamy, almost like a mayonnaise and it works out really well. Tofu definitely gets a bad rap, for sure. I think we can go with tofu.

Big Flavors from a Restaurant Kitchen Volume 3: Top Chef All Star Marcel Vigneron

Big Flavors: You said you have 2 new restaurants in the works?

Marcel: There's Beefsteak, which is my plant-based concept that I'm working on. It's named after the tomatoes and basically we're putting vegetables back at the center of the plate with that concept and making them satisfying and fulfilling. And I'm not doing any of the fake meat things. I'd say that would actually be one of the trends that I don't like. Fake meats. Just say you're a cauliflower or whatever. And some of them, like seitan, are just tough. I can't eat that.

I remember I went to a restaurant here in New York. I was working on the plant based concept and I was doing a little R&D and I went to this vegan restaurant and I ordered these tempeh nachos. I had to fly out afterwards, and I remember I got in a cab to Newark and I was like, "did I just eat a cinder block? What is in my stomach!?"

And I guess the other thing is that a lot of the vegan and vegetarian restaurants will do a lot of these cashew nut butters and these fake cheeses. And it's not actually healthy to eat like 2 cups of cashews in a seating or a meal. So just eat more vegetables, you know what I mean? I feel like vegetables shouldn't have to be disguised as a meat. They're beautiful and great the way they are, so just let them speak for themselves. But it's difficult because you have to prepare them properly and you have to know what you're doing. Otherwise it can go real bad, real fast. It's difficult to make them really, really good. Especially if someone is an omnivore and is used to cooking with ingredients that are a little less fresh.

Big Flavors: Do you have any tips for home cooks to make their meals more interesting?

Marcel: Just be open and aware to the phenomenon that is cooking. Cooking is very comprehensive, and I would say don't be afraid to try new things, but just be aware of what you're doing. And try to be conscious and talk to your ingredients, because if you look at what you're doing and you try to think about it logically… just using logic when you're cooking can make all the difference in the world. If something is burning, add a little more fat or turn the heat down.

So being conscious, using logic. And using recipes as guidelines - they're not bible. You don't have to roast a chicken at 450 degrees. Maybe your oven isn't calibrated and so 375 is actually better. If you smell something burning, react. And resting. If you're cooking meats or protein, let it rest. If it took you 30 minutes to cook, let it rest for 15, as a general rule. You just spent all this time roasting this ribeye or this chicken. Wait another 15 minutes to let all the juices get redistributed back throughout the meat.

Big Flavors from a Restaurant Kitchen Volume 3: Top Chef All Star Marcel Vigneron

Big Flavors: My last question is - I have a piece of pork tenderloin in my fridge. What should I do with it?

Marcel: Oooooh!

Big Flavors: I'm not afraid in the kitchen - so I can cook. I don't have any foam kits or anything, but I can hang. 

Marcel: Pork tenderloin - I like doing a nice spice rub on it. And then dredging it, rolling it in the spice rub then searing it, roasting it. I'd probably start with a little grapeseed oil so you can get it nice and hot. And then sear the outside. I like to add a little butter, garlic, rosemary and thyme and then just baste it.

When you add the butter, all those milk solids start to caramelize. And that will really bring out the Maillard reaction and bring your searing to the next level. And then the spice rub - you could do a dried porcini, morel sort of action.

And then you could take some goat cheese and thin it out with a little bit of water, lemon juice and some herbs and just serve those together. Then just finish it with a little lemon juice - a little acid on top.

Big Flavors: And I have almost all of that stuff at home. I'm totally gonna try it! Thank you so much!

Marcel: Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen? I love that - what a great name!

Big Flavors: Thanks! I'm up in Westchester and my kitchen is legitimately super, super tiny.

Marcel: But bringing the big, bold flavors!

Big Flavors: The thing is, people think that if they have this giant, state-of-the-art kitchen, they're gonna cook all this stuff. But everybody I know with a kitchen like that never uses it. It's crazy!

Marcel: Yeah! I mean I was cooking out of my apartment in LA. It was pretty small, and I was cooking these huge parties in advance and it was just me, a 4-burner, an oven and a salamander. And people were like, WHAAAAT?! Now that I have a restaurant, I definitely have a lot more space, so this is gonna be fun.

A photo posted by Ashley Covelli (@bigflavors) on

Thanks again to Stonefire Authentic Flatbreads & Chef Marcel for the delicious afternoon. It really was a beautiful day to be out and about in New York City!

You can find all things Stonefire on their website, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter. You can follow Chef Marcel on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Stay tuned tomorrow to get the recipe for Chef Marcel's Chimi-Verde Dip and see how it turned out when I made it in my tiny kitchen!

Pasta alla Walter

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Roasted tomatoes and Brussels sprouts form a simple, delicious topping for vegetable radiatore pasta.

I came up with this recipe as a way to use up some things that I had on hand in the kitchen. I had picked up this super cute vegetable radiatore pasta from Trader Joe's, and it had been sitting around in my cabinet unused for too long.

I figured a colorful pasta dish was long overdue!

Pasta alla Walter

I love roasting grape tomatoes in the oven. It brings out their natural sweetness and juices out and is great as a base for sauces (such as this recipe - one of our faves!). I had some Brussels sprouts in the fridge, and I love how they taste when they're roasted, so I figured this would be a great pairing.

I added a little fresh rosemary to the roasting pan, and white wine vinegar for a bit of tanginess. Toasted pine nuts at the end add a little bit of crunch, and the freshly shaved Parmesan gives it a creamy, salty finish.

This pasta was super delicious. It was a big hit at our dinner table, and I'll definitely be making it again. I wasn't sure what to call this dish, so I named it after an employee at one of our favorite NYC Italian delis. Thanks for the inspiration, Walter!

Buttermilk Fried Chicken with Kale-Cabbage Slaw & Biscuits

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A sweet-and-spicy honey sauce accompanies this Southern comfort food classic.

This was another tasty Blue Apron meal. I particularly enjoyed the mix of hot sauce and honey as a dipping sauce for the chicken. It was really tasty.

The mix of kale and green cabbage was a nice change of pace from standard cole slaw recipes, and who doesn't love biscuits?

Buttermilk Fried Chicken with Kale-Cabbage Slaw & Biscuits

This recipe made a ton of slaw, so we had some leftover, which was nice. I'm not a fan of caraway seeds, so I didn't LOVE the slaw (and I'm usually super into slaws of all sorts!) but it was still good.

 

  • 2 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Cutlets
  • 1 Cup Buttermilk Biscuit Mix
  • ¾ Cup Panko Breadcrumbs
  • 1 Bunch Kale
  • ½ Pound Green Cabbage
  • 1 Tablespoon Honey
  • 2 Tablespoons Mayonnaise
  • 1 Tablespoon White Wine Vinegar
  • 1 Mini Bottle Tabasco Hot Sauce
  • ½ Cup Buttermilk
  • 1 Teaspoon Kale-Cabbage Slaw Spice Blend (Caraway Seeds, Celery Seeds & Ground Mustard)

See Blue Apron for the full recipe.

Reese's Puffs Cereal Bars with White Chocolate & Peanut Butter Drizzle + Bonus Box Tops for Education

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Thanks to General Mills for sponsoring this post. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.

This is part 2 of my Bonus Box Tops for Education series (you can check out part 1 here).

Get ready for a fun twist on cereal bars with these chocolatey, peanut buttery treats!

Reese's Puffs Cereal Bars with White Chocolate & Peanut Butter Drizzle

Walmart is currently running a campaign featuring Bonus Box Tops on select General Mills products. Each of these packages offers 5 points instead of 1 - that's $0.50 per package to go toward a school you love.

So on our shopping trip, my son and I were playing "find the 5s" to find products that would earn us extra money for our local school district.

One of the first items we spotted was Reese's Puffs cereal. I mean, who doesn't love Reese's Peanut Butter Cups? But in cereal form?! This sounded like pure heaven, so we snatched some up right away.

Bonus Box Tops for Education

I told my son that we would be using the chocolate peanut butter cereal to make a special treat for his friends (the "big kids" who live a few doors down from us). He looks up to them so much, and he can't wait to start going to school with them.

I told him that he still has to wait one more year to start school, but that we could do something to help the school that he'll be attending all too soon by clipping off the 5s and giving them to his buddies to bring to school, along with these tasty, homemade snacks.

My son took so much pride in the fact that he got to help make these cereal bars for his friends. He practically had his step stool set up in the kitchen before I even got the grocery bags unpacked. He loves to help out, and he looooves to QC the individual ingredients, too. 😉

BigFlavorsXSi08142015IMG_2757

After he was done taste-testing the cereal and marshmallows, he got to work melting the butter, marshmallows, vanilla, and salt into an edible glue. He was super excited to see the transformation take place. It took several minutes, but he was very interested in the process.

I mean, seriously, 3-year-olds can have a surprising amount of patience when it comes to certain things. Other, less edible things, not so much.

I took over to stir the cereal into the marshmallow mixture, and he helped press it into the pan. I took care of the white chocolate and peanut butter drizzle while he was busy playing in the other room because that part was going to potentially get messy. Don't worry, he got to lick the bowl!

Reese's Puffs Cereal Bars with White Chocolate & Peanut Butter Drizzle

These bars are best when refrigerated since it allows the marshmallow, chocolate, and peanut butter to firm up a bit. They turned out absolutely delicious. A bit messy, but oh so worth it.

After we were done making sure the bars were tasty enough to share with the neighbor kids, I packed some up in a box with wax paper to separate the layers. I put all of our Bonus Box Tops in a bag and attached it to the box, and we set off to deliver the goodies!

Reese's Puffs Cereal Bars with White Chocolate & Peanut Butter Drizzle + Bonus Box Tops for Education

My son took off with the biggest smile on his face. He was so excited to bring this tastiness to his buddies.

When we got there, he told his friend that we made some treats for him and his brothers to enjoy and that we had some Box Tops for them to take when they head back to school.

Reese's Puffs Cereal Bars with White Chocolate & Peanut Butter Drizzle + Bonus Box Tops for Education

He made sure to let them know that he cooked the treats, that they were "very tasty", and that we saved a few for ourselves at home.

He also made a point to let them know that we had to use the whole bag of marshmallows for them, and that he really wanted to eat more of the marshmallows, but that I wouldn't let him. Ha!

Reese's Puffs Cereal Bars with White Chocolate & Peanut Butter Drizzle + Bonus Box Tops for Education

My son notices Box Tops on packages at the store now, and has made the connection that the points can help his friends' schools. And he still insists that he will be going to school soon, too. It'll be great for him to see what types of things his school buys with Box Tops once he's in his own classroom next year.

Pardon me while I hyperventilate thinking about my baby starting school. Gah! I think I may need to make another batch of these beauties to help me cope with how fast he's growing up. 😉

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of General Mills®. The opinions and text are all mine.

Favorite Beach Snacks

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Summer is winding down, but there's still time to hit the beach! Head over to Stonyfield's blog, The Yogurt Dish, to check out my tips for packing refreshing, delicious and fun snacks before you head out!

Favorite Beach Snacks

 

Farmers Market Salad with Burrata + Fresh Fruit

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Creamy Burrata and a mix of ripe raspberries and apricots add excitement to this arugula salad.

One of my favorite ways to mix things up when it comes to making interesting salads is to hit up my local Farmers Market.

And if there's a stand that sells fresh Burrata, I will buy it every.single.time.

Farmers Market Salad with Burrata + Fresh Fruit

For this particular salad, I wanted to take advantage of all of the beautiful fresh fruit I found at the market. The mix of fresh raspberries and apricots went great with the tangy aged balsamic. Plus, it's so bright and colorful - always a welcome sight when making a salad.

I keep a stash of different seeds and nuts in my freezer, and it's the perfect way to add a bit of crunch to salads. This time around, I went with some shelled, roasted sunflower seeds. YUM.

Farmers Market Salad with Burrata + Fresh Fruit

To make this salad, I mounded a big pile of baby arugula on a plate. I topped it with a handful of fresh raspberries, a few fresh apricots that I sliced up, a ball of fresh Burrata, cut in half so the center would start to spill out, roasted sunflower seeds, snipped garden chives, gray salt, fresh cracked black pepper, and a drizzle of robust olive oil and aged balsamic.

This was a fantastic, colorful salad that I really enjoyed. It would work with lots of different fruits, too. I'd recommend keeping it to 2 or maybe 3 so things don't get too complicated. Enjoy the freshness!

 

Belgian Endive and Walnut Salad (Insalata Belga e Noci)

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Crisp apples add sweetness to this simple yet elegant Italian salad.

Bitter greens have grown on me over the years. I didn't enjoy them until fairly recently, and now I really enjoy serving them as a salad course for dinner parties.

Take endive, for example. It's pretty bitter on its own, but paired with sweet/tart apples, a quick vinaigrette and crunchy toasted walnuts, it's elevated to something absolutely delicious!

Belgian Endive and Walnut Salad (Insalata Belga e Noci)

Leave it to Lidia Bastianich to reel me in with this gorgeous, rustic Italian starter. I served it at a dinner party a while back, and it was a big hit all around.

It's the perfect addition to any meal that needs a crunchy component. The dressing was simple and very tasty, too, and would be great on a variety of salads.

Belgian Endive and Walnut Salad (Insalata Belga e Noci)

The example image of this dish showed red apples, but I kind of liked how this looked with the green Granny Smiths.

This salad held up well in the refrigerator over night and was great for lunch the next day, too!

Maple Cinnamon Yogurt Dip + Lunchbox Tips for Preschoolers

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This post was created in partnership with Stonyfield. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.

It only takes 3 ingredients to make this flavorful, healthy treat - perfect for dipping fruit or graham crackers!

Let's talk lunch. It can be tricky to keep lunchtime fun and exciting, even for adults. But throw an unpredictable preschooler in the mix and it can be a recipe for pure frustration.

Luckily, I've found a few things that help keep my 3-year-old interested in eating new, healthy foods.

Maple Cinnamon Yogurt Dip + Lunchbox Tips for Preschoolers

One thing that we do together is to go to our local Farmers Market. It's a great way for him to discover new foods, and when he helps pick something out, he's more excited about eating it. I love that most of the vendors are incredibly knowledgeable about their products, and they can answer his many, many questions.

Seriously, kids ask a lot of questions. It's good, but sooooo exhausting.

My son loves helping me pick out different items at the market. Sometimes I'll give him a prompt, like "can you help pick out 2 pieces of fruit?", and other times I'll ask him if anything looks interesting to him.

A photo posted by Ashley Covelli (@bigflavors) on

There are a lot of times that we find new (to us) ingredients, and I love discovering those things with him. And he has a great knack for finding things off the beaten path. Yesterday, he chose these Hakurei turnips. It's a Japanese variety that's edible from root to greens. I'm looking forward to trying them out!

A photo posted by Ashley Covelli (@bigflavors) on

We also picked up some Mexican gherkins. They look like little watermelons! I've seen them before but hadn't tried them until yesterday. We both really enjoyed them!

Maple Cinnamon Yogurt Dip + Lunchbox Tips for Preschoolers

Another thing that my son loves to eat is anything that we grow in our small container garden out on the patio.

Yesterday, we had our biggest tomato harvest yet, thanks to him and his little lamb lovey, who helped pick every.single.ripe.tomato.

Maple Cinnamon Yogurt Dip + Lunchbox Tips for Preschoolers

He loves helping to take care of the garden. Watering and harvesting are his favorite parts by far.

I've found that he'll eat things like rosemary, straight off the branch, just because he grew it. It has helped him be more open to trying those types of ingredients in other recipes. I'll remind him that an ingredient in a restaurant dish is "just like the rosemary we grow at home in our garden!" and he's usually happy to give it a try.

Usually. He is still a finicky kid. Ha!

Maple Cinnamon Yogurt Dip + Lunchbox Tips for Preschoolers

I don't always pack lunchbox style lunches for him since he's home with me every day, but he definitely feels like it's special whenever I do take the time to assemble one.

Sometimes, a spin on a typical lunch component (like a sandwich) keeps lunch more interesting for him. So I like to do things like instead of assembling salami and cheese on bread, I'll give him a pile of crackers, a few slices of cheese and some salami so he could make his own.

He likes to call these cracker sandwiches "hamburgers", and I kind of love it. When's the last time you had a salami hamburger? 😉

Maple Cinnamon Yogurt Dip + Lunchbox Tips for Preschoolers

I usually include some sort of yogurt with his lunch. It's a great way for him to get protein, and it's healthy! You know I love all things Stonyfield, so sometimes he gets YoKids Squeezers, or a cup of YoToddler yogurt. Other times I like to make something with whatever yogurt we have on hand.

I almost always have plain yogurt in the house. It's so versatile, and can be used for sweet or savory dishes. So for this lunch, I used it along with pure maple syrup and a little cinnamon to make a quick, tasty dip for his fruit. I gave him some mixed berries and little plastic skewers so he could do something different than the standard fork and spoon (or fingers) approach if he wanted.

He loved dipping everything, and went to town with the spoon to finish up the rest of the yogurt after he ran out of fruit. I think this would work with Greek yogurt, too, if you wanted it to be a bit thicker. Either way, there's minimal sugar in the yogurt, and it tastes great!

Maple Cinnamon Yogurt Dip + Lunchbox Tips for Preschoolers

It can be tricky to keep lunches interesting for kids. But if you try to get them involved in picking out items to have on hand in your kitchen, and try presenting items in different ways, it can really encourage them to enjoy mealtime.

He really enjoyed this yogurt dip, and I think it would be great drizzled over fresh fruit for a more grown-up dessert, too.

What do you do to keep lunches interesting for your kids?

Tofu & Black Bean Taco Boats with Jicama Mango Salsa + Bonus Box Tops for Education

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Thanks to General Mills for sponsoring this post. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.

My son will be starting public Pre-K next year, and he's really excited about the whole idea of going to school. He looks up to our neighbor's 3 boys (ages 7, 9 and 13) who are "big kids" that get to go to school and do all the fun things that he hopes to do one day.

His friends are heading back to school for the year, and we thought it would be fun to do something to help contribute to the school district that he'll be attending way too soon.

Bonus Box Tops for Education

I've seen Box Tops for Education on lots of items at the grocery store for years now, but this year is the first time that I really thought about the impact it would have on our specific school district. For those of you who are unfamiliar with them, Box Tops are little labels on that you'll see on a whole slew of products at the grocery store.

To redeem Box Tops, you simply clip the labels off of the packaging and send them to your local school. Each Box Top is worth $0.10 for your child's school, and over 80,000 K-8 schools participate in the program nationwide. Schools can use that money to buy whatever they need (school supplies, field trips, technology, etc.). It's a total win/win!

Bonus Box Tops for Education

Walmart is currently running a campaign featuring Bonus Box Tops on select General Mills products. Each of these packages offer 5 points instead of 1 - that's $0.50 per package to go toward a school you love.

I took my son on a shopping trip for a game of "find the 5s" so we could collect some Bonus Box Tops the neighbor kids to bring to school. He had an absolute blast hunting for the labels and pushing the shopping cart all over the store.

Like seriously, every... single... aisle.

Bonus Box Tops for Education

Side note: I am *not* allowed to help him push the cart when we're out. He gets very upset when I try to help him steer or stop it while he's pushing. He swears that he won't run anyone over, and the fact that he can't see over the top of the cart doesn't seem to matter to him.

3-year-olds, dude.

Sheesh.

Bonus Box Tops for Education

I decided to make dinner using one of my absolute favorite new products (that just so happened to be one of the Bonus Box Tops items from our haul) - Old El Paso Soft Tortilla Taco Boats. I've been seriously obsessed with them since I first found them at the store several months ago. I even buy them in bulk at the wholesale club when I find them (4 packs per box - whoohoo!).

Soft tacos can be so messy, but these hold everything together beautifully. I've made taco boats for friends a few times, and the tortillas have totally blown their minds.

What can I say? I kind of love being the person to bring such taco joy to their lives ;).

Tofu & Black Bean Taco Boats w Jicama Mango Salsa

For this particular taco dinner, I decided to do something different than the standard meaty tacos that I make on busy weeknights. I had some tofu in the fridge, and I thought it would be delicious in addition to black beans using the same taco seasoning that I usually use with ground beef or turkey.

I also wanted to change up my usual taco toppings (lettuce, tomato, red onion, cheddar cheese, sour cream, hot sauce) and went for a refreshing, fruity salsa on top. My grocery store had some insanely ripe mangos, which worked beautifully with the crunchy jicama and spicy serrano pepper.

Tofu & Black Bean Taco Boats w Jicama Mango Salsa

We spooned a bit of plain Greek yogurt on top, but feel free to omit it if you want to keep this meal vegan. This was a super fun twist on a favorite taco dinner, and it's one that I'll definitely be making again!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of General Mills®. The opinions and text are all mine.

Pork Medallions with Scallions and Magic Green Sauce

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This simple, colorful, healthy meal comes together in a snap and is elegant enough for entertaining.

My in-laws have birthdays that are 2 days apart, so we usually celebrate both of their birthdays together.

This year, I wanted to make a home-cooked meal, but I didn't have time to get too fussy with it since we were celebrating on a busy weeknight.

Pork Medallions with Scallions and Magic Green Sauce

This quick & easy pork recipe from the August issue of Cooking Light was exactly what I needed. The bright green "magic" sauce gets its vibrant color from a mix of capers, cilantro and green onions. Multi-colored cherry tomatoes add even more color to the plate. It just screams summer!

I love the use of green onions in 3 different ways (in the sauce, cooked with the tomatoes and raw as garnish). In the magazine, they have some good suggestions for other ways to use the sauce, and I'd love to try 'em out!

Pork Medallions with Scallions and Magic Green Sauce

I served this pork with the Fresh Corn Sauté with Red Pepper and Onions from the same issue, and we had DOVEBARS with Whipped Coconut Cream + Maple Cinnamon Toasted Coconut Chips for dessert. Everything was a huge hit!

I will say that if you're making this for 4 hungry adults, you may want to make extra. I ended up cooking up 6 pork chops (leaving the rest of the recipe as is) and I think we could have handled a little more. Or maybe with a side of rice or crusty bread. It's definitely on the lighter side for my family. Delicious, but definitely could have eaten a little more of it. This would also be good made with thicker, bone-in pork chops, but that would make it take longer to cook. I loved how quickly this meal came together!

Pumpkin Pie "Stuffed" Challah French Toast

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Pumpkin season is nearly here! Let's celebrate by slathering pumpkin pie spiced mascarpone between beautifully fluffy slices of Challah.

This summer is flying by. And everyone knows that pumpkin season is next in line!

I'll admit - coming up with a pumpkin recipe with so many autumn flavors felt kinda wrong when it was close to 100 degrees outside, but it tasted oh so good!

Pumpkin Pie "Stuffed" Challah French Toast

We love Challah French Toast in my house, and I thought it would be fun to take all of the warm spices that permeate my favorite pumpkin pie and turn them into a filling fit for a breakfast sandwich.

This recipe is the perfect way to kick off any autumn day. Heck, it was a great way to kick off a summer day, too!

Pumpkin Pie "Stuffed" Challah French Toast

Check out what everyone else made in the roundup below:

Samantha from Sweet Remedy made Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Sophia from NY Foodgasm made PSL Ice Cream

Ashley of Quarter Life (Crisis) Cuisine made Savory Pumpkin Gnocchi

Matt from Nomageddon made Mochiko Chicken Tacos with a Sriracha Pumpkin Salsa

Shrimp with Coconut Curry Sweet Potato Noodles

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A rich, creamy peanut-infused coconut curry is the perfect accompaniment for spiralized sweet potatoes and tender shrimp.

The spiralizer strikes again! I've had several friends tell me that sweet potatoes are one of the tastiest things to spiralize, so I picked a few up from the grocery store and rummaged through my fridge and freezer to get some inspiration for dinner.

A photo posted by Ashley Covelli (@bigflavors) on

I love keeping shrimp in the freezer. They cook up so quickly and are an easy way to incorporate seafood into weeknight meals. Plus, since our most recent vacation to Ocean City, MD, my 3-year-old absolutely loves shrimp.

Success!

This shrimp dish incorporates some Asian flavors into a peanutty, coconutty sauce that has a mild heat from red curry paste. I kept it mild since my son was eating it, too, but by all means add more if you like things spicy!

Another secret to making this sauce extra creamy is canned coconut cream. This is not the same as coconut milk. Make sure you use the full-fat stuff here. Don't skimp! I used Trader Joe's brand, because it's super creamy, and I highly recommend it.

Shrimp with Coconut Curry Sweet Potato Noodles

The peanuts on top add a welcome bit of crunch. I would have used green onions as a garnish, but I didn't have any on hand, so I used some chives from my garden and it was just fine.

This meal comes together pretty quickly, and was a big hit at my dinner table. The leftovers reheated beautifully the next day for lunch, too. As with any shrimp dish, just make sure you don't microwave it for too long when reheating it, to make sure that the shrimp don't overcook. I usually hit the "reheat" button on my microwave and stop it when it has about 30 seconds left in the cook cycle.

Aaaaand I'm totally craving another plate of this just writing about it. YUM.

What's your favorite way to use sweet potato noodles? Drop me a line in the comments to let me know!

Grazin’ TriBeCa's Lamb Burger

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This is part 2 of a feature on my delicious experience at Grazin' TriBeCa in NYC. You can find part 1 here.

In the kitchen of Grazin' TriBeCa, Chef Steven Reese walked me through how he makes one of the tastiest burgers on the restaurant's menu - The Lamb Burger (ground lamb, gyro style with a tzatziki yogurt sauce).

When they make it in-house, everything is grass-fed and finished, pasture-raised and organic. They strain their own yogurt made with local milk for 24 hours to make it extra thick and rich.

The hamburger bun they use is a classic white bread bun with sesame seeds, made by a small farm baker with local organic wheat.

And I have to say, you can really taste the quality of the ingredients!

Grazin' TriBeCa's Lamb Burger

This burger packs a ton of flavor in a fairly unassuming package. Sure, it looks like a tasty burger, but on first bite - woooooah.

In my chat with owner Andrew "Chip" Chiappinelli, he described the process of making a ground lamb burger taste like the delectable spiced meat that typically comes in a gyro.

One major key is lots of marjoram. Fresh is too difficult to source year-round, so for consistency, they use the dried variety.

When making this burger at home, I ordered lamb from one of my favorite local farms. If that's an option for you, I highly recommend going that route.

I love keeping a pound or 2 in the freezer for whenever I'm inspired to cook up a lamb-centric meal at home.

Grazin' TriBeCa's Lamb Burger

For the yogurt, I used store-bought organic nonfat Greek yogurt. Easy peasy.

And the tzatziki can be made ahead of time, so you can do it early in the day (or even the night before), stash it in the fridge and once it's burger time, dinner comes together in a snap.

A few tips: make sure to season your meat really well before it hits the grill. The tzatziki tastes better the longer it sits in the fridge, so definitely hang onto any leftovers you have. Delicious! At Grazin', they use "burger onions" inside the patties, which Chip describes below:

Burger Onions for us are finely diced onions that are very slowly sautéed in oil with a pinch of salt to remove the liquid. They are beyond translucent but should be cooked slowly enough to not take on a ton of color. Putting raw onions in a burger mix results in the onion sweating while the burger cooks and steaming the inside of the burger and it will not hold together well and cook differently than you expect. Adding these onions gives you all the flavor of onion without those side effect. These can be made days ahead of time.

I absolutely love this tip, because I'm a fan of onions in my burgers, but have definitely run into the issue of raw ones making the burgers fall apart a bit.

And a nice layer of salt on the outside of the patty is definitely key in creating that delicious burger "crust" once it hits the grill.

Grazin' TriBeCa

Anyone who has eaten any sort of Middle Eastern/Greek/Indian meal with me knows that I'm all about the yogurt sauces. I'm big into food sharing, but when it comes to the sauce, I like one all to myself thankyouverymuch.

Don't be shy with seasoning the tzatziki, either. Yogurt likes a good amount of salt to help make the flavors shine!

So when I made these burgers at home, I scaled the restaurant's burger recipe down to ¼ the original proportions, but only cut the tzatziki down by half.

I'm leaving the recipe proportions as they were given to me, but just know that it scales down pretty easily.

1 pound of meat made 3 nice-sized burgers for me, so if I were making the full recipe, I'd get about 12 burgers.

Grazin' TriBeCa's Lamb Burger

I finally had a really ripe tomato in my garden, so I added that to my burger toppings and served them alongside some black beans and leftover baby potatoes.

The extra tzatziki held up beautifully in the fridge for several days, and I made these killer Falafel-Spiced Chickpea Flatbreads with the rest of it.

A photo posted by Ashley Covelli (@bigflavors) on

These burgers turned out beautifully at home. The spices in the meat are simple yet bold, and the cool sauce and crunchy cucumbers are the perfect accompaniment. The Worcestershire sauce in the tzatziki really adds a nice depth of flavor, too. Major yum!

We cooked these on the grill at home, but I asked the chef what his recommendation would be if we needed to cook them indoors, and he said a cast iron skillet should do the trick.

We just quickly toasted the buns on the grill without anything spread on them, but I love that they recommend a smear of tallow, butter or rendered lamb fat. Lots of layers of flavor here!

Thanks again to Chef Steven & Chip for the hospitality and for letting my readers get a peek at their delicious creations.

You can find all things Grazin' on Facebook.

Grazin' TriBeCa is located at 56 Reade Street in New York City. Grazin' Angus Acres can also be found weekly at the Union Square Farmers Market & 79th Street Greenmarket. If you're near upstate New York, check out their Grazin' Hudson location at 717 Warren Street, Hudson, NY 12534.

Grazin' TriBeCa's Lamb Burger: Gyro-style seasoned ground lamb is grilled and served with a rich, creamy tzatziki yogurt sauce. #BigFlavorsFromARestaurantKitchen

Grazin' TriBeCa

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UPDATE: This location in TriBeCa has closed but the original Grazin' restaurant is doing well and is located on 717 Warren Street, Hudson, NY 12534.

This is the first installment of a new series here on Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen where I'll be showcasing restaurant recipes that can be made at home. I'm going into professional kitchens, chatting with chefs and watching them prepare some of their favorite dishes. I'll be bringing the recipes home to cook in my tiny kitchen and will share those recipes along with my results so you can try them out for yourself!

I want to help demonstrate that professional-quality meals are absolutely possible to make at home, and that it can be easier than you think to step up your own cooking game. Each post will consist of 2 parts - my restaurant kitchen experience + interview with the chef and then my results when making the restaurant recipe at home.

I'm really excited about this new feature. It's also a way for me to introduce you to some of my favorite local eateries, which I encourage you to check out for yourself if you haven't already!

Grazin' TriBeCa

I've known the folks behind Grazin' for several years now. I recently sat down to chat with owner Andrew "Chip" Chiappinelli (above, right) and Chef Steven Reese (above, left) at Grazin' TriBeCa to talk about all things burger. I also learned more about the story of how they became so passionate about the food that they prepare and their commitment to animal welfare.

Grazin' Angus Acres, is set on an absolutely breathtaking 2,000 acres in Ghent, NY. The farm is committed to an ecologically friendly and economically sustainable environment. The cattle are grass-fed and finished Black Angus. They currently have 300 herd plus 9 large egg mobiles (1000 heritage laying hens) as well as pigs and fresh produce. The farm is also the first in the region to harness the area's natural wind power for a large percentage of their electrical needs.

Back in 2011, Grazin' opened their first Farm-to-Table: Direct organic burger joint up in Hudson, NY. They make everything in-house, down to the condiments and even the syrups to make sodas. Grazin' TriBeCa is the latest addition to the scene, opening in NYC in March 2015.

Grazin' TriBeCa

Every animal protein that's served at their restaurants comes from a small family farm that is pasture-based and is held to the highest livestock welfare standards. And most of the proteins come directly from Grazin' Angus Acres.

The Grazin' restaurants are the first ever completely Animal Welfare Approved restaurants in the world - a trend they hope to see spread. They are seriously passionate about what they do!

Grazin' TriBeCa

Chip had mentioned to me that Chef Steven had come up with a chicken fried egg recipe. I asked if I'd be able to try it out and he gladly obliged. It. Was. Phenomenal. I'm going to take a crack (no pun intended) on making a dish using that technique at home sometime soon. I mean, WOW.

After I housed tasted the egg, we got right to a demo of 2 of the burgers that are featured on their menu: The Uncle Dude (house-made chipotle mayo, Hudson Valley cheddar, Grazin' Angus Acres bacon, jalapeño relish and fresh greens) and The Lamb Burger (ground lamb, gyro style with a tzatziki yogurt sauce).

Chef Steven had some bacon that he cured in-house, and he sliced it right up and threw it on the grill for me. I hadn't ever grilled bacon before. Mind = BLOWN.

Grazin' TriBeCa

He also showed me the various homemade condiments they use at Grazin' (such as beet ketchup!) and gave me some tips on cooking beautiful burgers (make sure to season the meat well before cooking). He comes up with a burger special every day, and the flavor combinations are outrageously delicious.

I got to enjoy the burgers along with some fries and a chilled carrot ginger soup before sitting down for a more formal interview.

Big Flavors: How did you get into cooking?

Steven: I went to school for English and Music Composition, which landed me a sweet job as the manager of a shoe store. And I really hated that - retail. And the bar next door - the bartender's husband was the chef at one of my favorite restaurants in Madison, Wisconsin. She got sick of me complaining about how much I hated my job, so she was like, "Why don't you come work at the restaurant? You like food!" and I was like, "OK" and a week later I got a phone call - they needed me as a dishwasher. That was 10 years ago. So I started washing dishes, and then I was a prep cook and then I was a line cook, and then I was a lead line cook. And then I moved to Milwaukee and got a job as a line cook at a really amazing restaurant there. And we had a farm just outside of Milwaukee.

Big Flavors: So you learned on the job then? That's awesome!

Steven: Yep. I went to culinary school for a hot minute - like 3 weeks. But it was… I went to the Milwaukee Area Technical College culinary program and it wasn't for me. When the woman next to me wanted to do over-easy eggs and was like, "which one is over-easy?" - that was about the level of the class there. So…

Grazin' TriBeCa

Big Flavors: What's the last meal you cooked at home? Even if it's like Kraft mac & cheese… I'm just curious.

Steven: I made a fusilli con bucatini - which is a bucatini that's spiral - with… I had a can of smoked kipper. So I used that, some garlic and capers.

Big Flavors: What are 3 ingredients that you have to have in your kitchen at home? Like your favorites that if you ran out, you'd freak out?

Steven: Chili flakes, olive oil and bacon fat. Those are things that I always definitely have.

Big Flavors: What would you make with those 3 things on Chopped? Go!

Steven: <laughs>

 Grazin' TriBeCa

Big Flavors: How do you get inspiration for recipes?

Steven: Dreams, mostly. A lot of times, yeah. Dreams. All I do is hang out with food, so my whole creative existence revolves around making things and eating things and feeding people stuff. Yeah, like the chicken fried egg - my friend was here, and we wrote up a list of things on the calendar and he just wrote "chicken fried steak" and I was a little delirious because I was working like 120 hours a week and I was like, "what do I do for brunch?" and I saw chicken fried steak. And because of the quality of our steak, we'd have to charge like $60 for a breakfast. And I was like, "I wish I could chicken fry an egg" and then I was like, "Wait! I bet you I could chicken fry an egg!". So at 2 in the morning, I'm cracking eggs onto a sheet pan to put them in the freezer to hope that this thing would work out.

Big Flavors: That's awesome. And delicious - they were really good! 

Grazin' TriBeCa

Big Flavors: What food trend are you sick of?

Steven: KALE.

Big Flavors: Is there any kale on the menu here?

Steven: Yeah, when we get it from the farm, you know, we'll do a raw kale salad with toasted mustard seeds.

Big Flavors: Who cooked for you when you were growing up?

Steven: My father. That's actually why I learned to cook in the first place, because my dad was a teacher and he coached the girls basketball, and so at home my mom would cook and it was just gross. She was a really bad cook. So when I was like 12 I just took over, because her gravy would be like plunk pluuuuunk. So I was like, "I'll figure this out" so I grabbed The Joy of Cooking and I made some spaghetti.

Grazin' TriBeCa

Big Flavors: Do you have any tips for home cooks to make something good in their own kitchens? I know a lot of people are intimidated with cooking and they think that it has to be complicated and it really doesn't.

Steven: The thing that people forget is to constantly season, you know? Like your pasta water when it's boiling needs to be salted almost like the ocean. And that's the easiest thing in the world, you know?

Grazin' TriBeCa

Big Flavors: Thank you so much! This was awesome and everything was absolutely delicious.

And then I got to sample all 3 of their dessert specials - a flourless chocolate mousse, a quark cheesecake and a rhubarb crumble. They were all SO good, and so, so tasty.

 Grazin' TriBeCa

Thanks again to Chef Steven & Chip for the hospitality and for letting my readers get a peek at their delicious creations.

You can find all things Grazin' on Facebook.

Grazin' TriBeCa is located at 56 Reade Street in New York City. Grazin' Angus Acres can also be found weekly at the Union Square Farmers Market & 79th Street Greenmarket. If you're near upstate New York, check out their Grazin' Hudson location at 717 Warren Street.

Stay tuned tomorrow to get the recipe for Grazin's Lamb Burger and see how it turned out when I made it in my tiny kitchen!

UPDATE: Check out part 2 here!

Low Country Boil Kabobs

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Fire up the grill - shrimp, andouille, corn and potatoes are skewered and brushed with Old Bay-infused butter for a delicious spin on a southern classic.

This was the second dish we brought to our Supper Club's Food on a Stick dinner. It was a really unique and tasty addition to the meal!

Low Country Boil Kabobs

I used 2 different types of andouille since one of the members of our club doesn't eat pork or beef. I was surprised to find that there were chicken and turkey varieties, too!

This dish takes a bit of assembly time, and it's not super easy to thread the wooden skewers through the corn, but I managed to get it done.

Low Country Boil Kabobs

Once the skewers are assembled, you brush them with a mix of butter and Old Bay Seasoning. I don't have any Old Bay at home, so I used Penzey's Chesapeake Bay Seafood Seasoning, which is pretty much the same thing. There are also lots of resources online for making your own Old Bay mix.

I love the idea of pre-cooking potatoes to add to skewers that you then grill. It's a nice way to get meat and potatoes all in one place!

Low Country Boil Kabobs

I used a mix of red, white and purple potatoes to add a bit of color, and sprinkled some chives from my garden on top of the platter before serving to liven things up a bit.

These were absolutely delicious, and definitely something I'd like to serve at a party again!

Here's a shot of all of the foods-on-sticks that we enjoyed that night (minus the drinks and dessert, which were also skewered!). What a fun meal!

A photo posted by Ashley Covelli (@bigflavors) on

Garlicky Zoodles with Lemon, Tomatoes + Greens

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Spiralized zucchini acts as the "pasta" in this colorful, garden fresh Italian meal.

I finally did it. I bought a spiralizer. And oh my goodness... I've been making some crazy delicious things with all of my noodle-shaped veggies!

A photo posted by Ashley Covelli (@bigflavors) on

This was my first spiralized meal. I picked up some zucchini from the store and used it as an excuse to clean out a bunch of produce that I had on hand.

I had half a package of shiitake mushrooms left in the fridge, and they added a really nice earthiness to this "pasta" dish. I'm a big fan of using grape or cherry tomatoes to make a quick pan sauce, and they worked beautifully here. I also wilted down some baby arugula that needed to be used up, and it gave the dish a nice peppery bite.

The zoodles cooked up in a snap, and a quick addition of butter, lemon zest and Parmesan cheese at the end brought it all together and added great creaminess.

Garlicky Zoodles with Lemon, Tomatoes + Greens

Feel free to add even more red pepper flakes if you like things spicy! I use some pretty potent ones in my kitchen, so a little pinch goes a long way. And I try to keep it mild enough that my 3-year-old can jump in and eat it without worrying about it being too spicy.

I did notice that the zucchini created a bit of extra liquid as it sat in the fridge, so I poured some out before reheating the leftovers and it worked just fine. Yum!

Pasta Salad Skewers with Creamy Balsamic Vinaigrette

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Pasta salad skewers turn Italian antipasto into a fun appetizer on a stick! Made with your favorite store-bought tortellini or tortelloni and tossed in a creamy balsamic vinaigrette for a big flavor boost.

These bites are perfect for make-ahead entertaining, potlucks, BBQs, and picnics. They're always the first thing to disappear at any gathering!

A tray of pasta salad skewers with tortellini, bell peppers, tomatoes, basil, and black olives.

I've been making these for yeeeears now. I used to always serve them with the creamy balsamic vinaigrette on the side for dipping, but this past spring I decided to try something a little different and they were even better than ever.

I'll share both options in the recipe below. Let's get into it!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Reader Review

"These are super easy and super delicious! I made them for a backyard party and everyone loved them (especially a 3 ½ year old!) The dressing is really, really good and I can see it being my go to balsamic." -Kellen

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🧡 Why we love this recipe

  • They're bright, colorful, and endlessly customizable.
  • It's like an Italian antipasto skewer, and food on a stick is ALWAYS fun.
  • They can be made in advance and are served chilled. Perfect for the summer heat.
  • These are a great, vegetarian-friendly party appetizer offering.
  • It's a great dish to have kids help make.
Ingredients ready to make pasta salad skewers.

📝 Ingredients

Here's everything you need to make this delicious pasta appetizer (see recipe card below for ingredient amounts and full directions):

A tray of pasta salad skewers with tortellini, bell peppers, tomatoes, basil, and black olives.
  • Refrigerated filled pasta like tortelloni or tortellini - I like using a 3 cheese variety, but pick your favorite
  • Bell peppers - a mix of colors is always pretty
  • Grape or cherry tomatoes - again, I typically use a mix of colors
  • Pitted black olives
  • Fresh basil leaves
  • Balsamic vinegar
  • Dried parsley
  • Dried basil
  • Dried oregano
  • Garlic powder
  • Dijon mustard
  • Granulated sugar
  • Plain yogurt - regular or Greek
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly cracked black pepper
  • Extra virgin olive oil
Adding balsamic vinegar to a bowl of ingredients to make vinaigrette.
Whisking a bowl of ingredients to make creamy balsamic vinaigrette.

✅ How to make this recipe

  1. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions.
  2. Meanwhile, make the vinaigrette.
  3. Drain pasta and toss with ⅔ of the vinaigrette.
  4. While the pasta cools, prep your other ingredients.
  5. Assemble the skewers, then drizzle with the rest of the vinaigrette and serve!

See recipe card below for full instructions.

Pouring balsamic vinaigrette into a bowl of cooked tortelloni.
Drizzling creamy balsamic vinaigrette over a tray of pasta salad skewers.

🍝 Tortellini vs. tortelloni

Some brands label their filled pasta as "tortellini" and some label it "tortelloni". Some websites claim that tortellini are usually smaller and typically contain meat, and that tortelloni are larger and usually contain a cheese-based filling.

From what I've observed in stores when buying both tortellini and tortelloni, the terms seem to be interchangeable. Look for a size of filled pasta that will work when skewered, and choose based on the type of filling you want to serve.

Personally, for this dish, I like to keep it to a cheese-filled tortellini/tortelloni so that friends who eat meat and friends who don't can all enjoy it!

Grabbing a spoonful of pasta salad with creamy balsamic vinaigrette.

📌 Tips

  • Wooden skewers are great to use when taking these to potlucks, but if you're enjoying them at home, reusable metal skewers are a great choice.
  • If you want something daintier, use shorter skewers with just one piece of tortellini and each of the other items per skewer.
  • Feel free to use a smaller package of tortellini and only 2 bell peppers if you're making this for a smaller crowd.
A platter of pasta salad skewers with a container of creamy balsamic vinaigrette.
Drizzling creamy balsamic vinaigrette over a pasta salad skewer.
Pasta Salad Skewers with Creamy Balsamic Vinaigrette

🍴 Variations

  • If you'd prefer to use the vinaigrette as a dip, toss the cooked pasta with a bit of olive oil so they don't stick together.
  • You can also serve this without skewers as a pasta salad. Just combine everything in a big bowl after the pasta is cooked.
  • I'll often double this recipe and make skewers with half and and a big pasta salad with the other half.
  • Feel free to add cheese to your skewers - bocconcini (bite-sized balls of fresh mozzarella) would make a great addition!
  • To make it more like an antipasto skewer, add cubed salami to the skewers.
  • If you like pickled items, adding Giardiniera could be a fun way to mix things up.

If you're looking for more tasty pasta salad options, my antipasto pasta salad is another one that uses the same vinaigrette.

🍽️ Still hungry? You may also like...

Looking for more summertime favorites? Try these:

Doing some online shopping? Check out my Amazon shop page for recommendations!

Fresh Corn Sauté with Red Pepper and Onions

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Make the most of fresh summer corn with this colorful, quick and delicious side dish.

One of my favorite parts of summer is having lots and lots of deliciously sweet fresh corn. I grew up in Indiana, so it's pretty much destiny that I love it so much.

This side dish was one of the first recipes I bookmarked in the latest issue of Cooking Light. It's perfect for summer - fresh, simple and not at all time consuming.

Fresh Corn Sauté with Red Pepper and Onions

I used corn and green onions that I picked up from the Farmer's Market that morning. So fresh!

I served this alongside Pork Medallions with Scallions and Magic Green Sauce from the same issue as my in-laws' birthday dinner. It was a big hit!

This recipe is easily made vegan by substituting the butter for a non-dairy variety. Delicious!

Roasted Shrimp with Mushrooms, Broccolini, and Foaming Chive Butter Sauce

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Shrimp and veggies cook in stages on one smokin' hot sheet pan, then finished with a quick + easy 3 ingredient sauce.

This recipe is from the latest issue of Cooking Light, and it was a BIG hit with my family. Even my 3-year-old loved it!

The preparation is really simple - you preheat the oven with a sheet pan in it, then add the ingredients to the pan in stages so everything cooks on one pan.

Roasted Shrimp with Mushrooms, Broccolini, and Foaming Chive Butter Sauce

I served this over steamed jasmine rice, which rounded out the meal nicely. It's a super simple dish that's perfect for a weeknight meal.

Broiled Tofu with Cilantro Pesto

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Pesto gets some Asian flair with cilantro, fish sauce, sesame oil and lime in this vibrant tofu dish.

It's been a while since I cooked with tofu. My family loves it, and it's a nice alternative to meat-filled main courses occasionally.

This dish is really simple to put together, and the flavor of the pesto goes really well with the tofu.

Broiled Tofu with Cilantro Pesto

I cut this recipe in half when I made it, and served it as a main course with a side of steamed basmati rice. Instead of spraying the baking sheet and then brushing both sides of the tofu, I just drizzled a thin layer of oil on the sheet, plopped down the slices of tofu and moved them around a little to coat with oil, flipped 'em and moved them around a little more so that both sides were coated. It worked really well.

The fish sauce really makes the pesto unique, but if you want to keep this vegetarian/vegan friendly, you can substitute soy sauce.

My family really enjoyed this meal. I particularly liked biting through the crispy exterior of the tofu and enjoying the silky center. Delicious!

Oh, and on a funny note - apparently I made this recipe back in 2009 and we didn't care for the Asian twist in the pesto. I think we're more into fish sauce than we used to be, which probably explains it. I mean, I do have more years of cooking under my belt now, so that's probably part of it as well. I guess just proceed with caution if you aren't really into the potent flavor of fish sauce (or go ahead and substitute soy sauce for a more mild flavor.

Spice Rubbed Smoked Country Style Ribs with Farm Fresh Veggie Sauté

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Thanks to Stubb’s Legendary Bar-B-Q for sponsoring this post. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.

Meaty pork ribs are rubbed with a tangy mix of spices, chile peppers and lime juice and smoked low and slow until tender.

We recently bought a kit to convert our charcoal grill into a smoker. It has been a fun weekend project to pick out beautiful pieces of meat from the Farmer's Market and let 'em cook alllllll day.

Spice Rubbed Smoked Country Style Ribs with Farm Fresh Veggie Sauté

This Pork Spice Rub from Stubb's is ridiculously tasty. As soon as I opened the jar to take a whiff, I was in love. It packs a bit of heat, but it's not overpowering at all.

And I love that the only prep that the pork takes is to shake on a nice coating of the rub, rub it in and let it chill in the fridge for a while.

Easy peasy!

Spice Rubbed Smoked Country Style Ribs with Farm Fresh Veggie Sauté

Once the ribs sat for a while, my husband prepped the smoker. This was only our second time using it, and we haven't totally nailed down the timing and temperature regulation yet, but we're getting there!

One recommendation I have is to make sure you have a reliable way to monitor the temperature of the smoker and the meat. We picked up a dual probe wireless style meat thermometer.

Spice Rubbed Smoked Country Style Ribs with Farm Fresh Veggie Sauté

You don't want to have to take the lid off the top to check your meat temperature while it's cooking, or you'll lose all of the heat you've built up under the dome. So this is pretty key. There are lots of different types available - there's a great article over on Amazing Ribs to help guide you.

Spice Rubbed Smoked Country Style Ribs with Farm Fresh Veggie Sauté

To go alongside these ribs, I took inspiration from my local Farmer's Market. I picked up a bright, colorful mix of veggies from a few different vendors and sautéed them all together to make a summery medley. I also picked up a freshly baked loaf of focaccia to round out the meal.

The ribs tasted awesome. We haven't been able to get our smoking times down quite right yet, so they weren't as tender as we would have liked them to be. But hey... we'll just have to practice a few more times to get into the swing of things.

I ended up pouring myself a little pile of BBQ sauce on the side to dip each bite of meat into - delicious!

Spice Rubbed Smoked Country Style Ribs with Farm Fresh Veggie Sauté

Baked Purple Yam + Sweet Potato Dumplings with Peanut Sauce

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Get a double dose of potatoes plus your daily greens in these baked dumplings that pair perfectly with a sweet-and-spicy dipping sauce.

Remember a while back when me & Joanne got together for Dumplingpalooza?

Well, we didn't fry all.of.the.things.

Just most.of.the.things.

Baked Purple Yam + Sweet Potato Dumplings with Peanut Sauce

These beauties, however, we baked. And we loaded them with good stuff - purple yams, Oriental sweet potatoes and choy sum from the local Asian market, plus garlic, ginger and shallots for extra oomph.

Then we piled this beautifully vibrant purple mixture into dumpling wrappers, brushed the tops with a little oil and baked them till golden.

Baked Purple Yam + Sweet Potato Dumplings with Peanut Sauce

The dipping sauce is what takes these dumplings over the top. They need that sweet heat to compliment the starchy filling.

Plus, who doesn't want to dip everything in peanut sauce?!

Baked Purple Yam + Sweet Potato Dumplings with Peanut Sauce

During Dumplingpalooza, we also took a stab at making our own dumpling wrappers. They weren't too difficult to make, and they tasted great. They weren't quite as pretty as the store-bought ones, but they were totally delicious. We used this recipe from Maangchi.

Baked Purple Yam + Sweet Potato Dumplings with Peanut Sauce

If you have any extra filling, I highly recommend heating it up and putting a fried egg on top. Great for breakfast, lunch, dinner OR a snack.

Deeeeelicious!

A photo posted by Ashley Covelli (@bigflavors) on

If you want another take on these, head over to Joanne's blog to see what she thought of these delicious dumplings!

Big Flavors Turns 9 + Reader Favorites

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Another year has flown by in my tiny kitchen, and today is Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen's 9th birthday! I wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who has been so supportive of me and my kitchen escapades over the last 9 years.

This blog has grown a lot in the last year, and I have some big things in store in the near future. You can look forward to a few new features in the coming months, as well as lots more original recipe content. I've been fortunate enough to be able to work with and develop recipes for some of the brands I love, as well as meet up and cook with fellow bloggers and even some professional chefs.

Thanks so much to you, fellow food lovers, for your wonderful conversation, encouragement, questions, comments and just being all around awesome.

To celebrate my blogiversary, here's a roundup of the 9 most popular recipe posts from the past year.

Graham Cracker Snickerdoodles

9. Graham Cracker Snickerdoodles + The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap 2014!: This post was a lot of fun. It was my first time participating in this cookie swap. There were 471 participants, and we raised a lot of money for a good cause, all while sending out and receiving delicious cookies in the mail. It was a fun and delicious way to meet some other food bloggers, and who can resist homemade cookies?!

Nutter Butter Icebox Cake

8. Nutter Butter Icebox Cake: Oh man. This cake. It's super easy and insanely decadent. I made it for a friend of ours who spent the weekend at our house, and it was so tasty that I made it again a few months ago for 2 separate summer potlucks. It holds up beautifully in the fridge for several days - just make sure to keep a few cookies on the side to top the cake fresh so they don't get soggy.

Italian Sausages with Lentils

7. Italian Sausages with Lentils: Nigella Lawson shared this recipe from her childhood in a wonderful cookbook that I picked up last year. This may not look like much, but it is a perfectly delicious, garlicky, red wine-infused dish of comfort food that will have you licking your plate for more!

Nutella-Stuffed Brown Butter + Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies

6. Nutella-Stuffed Brown Butter + Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies: I made these for my Supper Club's annual cookie/candy swap, and they rocked! There's nothing like a sweet-and-salty dessert that incorporates the goodness of chocolate chip cookies and throws in some Nutella for good measure. Really, really good.

Hit ‘n’ Run Traybaked Chicken

5. Hit ‘n’ Run Traybaked Chicken: Jamie Oliver knows his comfort food. This dish was super simple and delicious and required little fuss (and just one dish!). Don't forget to grab some nice bread to soak up all those pan juices!

Congee & Caramelized Pork with Crispy Shallots and Black Garlic

4. Congee & Caramelized Pork with Crispy Shallots and Black Garlic: This was my first time making congee, and it was fantastic! It was one of most interesting the Blue Apron meals that I've made, and the recipe is from a contestant on Top Chef. This dish packs a ton of flavor, and those crispy shallots are the perfect topping.

Vietnamese Fresh Spring Rolls

3. Vietnamese Fresh Spring Rolls: Why have one dipping sauce when you can have two? These rolls are bright, fresh and elegant, and look much more labor intensive than they actually are. They were a big hit at a dinner party we had last summer.

Halal Cart-Style Rice

2. Halal Cart-Style Rice: The perfect accompaniment to any NYC street food type meal at home. This rice will make your house smell so insanely good that you'll barely be able to wait until it's done cooking to dive in! Perfect alongside my hubby's Halal Chicken on a Pita AKA Rafakey 2.0.

Cantaloupe, Prosciutto and Shaved Parmesan Salad

1. Cantaloupe, Prosciutto and Shaved Parmesan Salad: This salad is so simple and elegant. It's the perfect way to use up beautifully ripe cantaloupe. It would be a wonderful first course for any home-cooked Italian dinner. I actually made something similar as a dinner party appetizer last weekend (recipe coming soon!) and it was a big hit.

And there you have it! Thanks again for helping to make Big Flavors such a deliciously inspiring place!

Is your favorite here? Is there anything you want to see more of in the next year? Drop me a line in the comments to let me know!

3 Ingredient Raspberry Frozen Yogurt with Stonyfield + YayLabs! SoftShell Ice Cream Ball

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This post was created in partnership with Stonyfield and YayLabs!. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.

Today is my birthday! And one of my favorite things about having a summer birthday is that frozen desserts are ALWAYS a good idea!

Today I'm sharing a super fun and easy recipe that can be made in YayLabs! SoftShell Ice Cream Ball. Basically, you fill one side of the ball with ice and rock salt, add your frozen yogurt/ice cream ingredients into the other side and then go PLAY until dessert is ready.

We've actually made this yogurt twice already. It was SO good and SO much fun. My son helped make it the first time while we were on vacation out in Ocean City, MD earlier this month, and then a few nights ago he pretty much did all of the assembly himself.

He's finally starting to earn his keep around here 😉

We had a blast "churning" the frozen yogurt both times we made it. My son likes to dictate who sits where, and which direction we're allowed roll the ball. It's pretty funny, and it makes the wait for dessert rather entertaining.

You roll the ball around for 10 minutes, scrape down the inside of the ball, add more ice and salt if needed, and then roll it around for another 10 minutes or so.

Easy peasy.

3 Ingredient Raspberry Frozen Yogurt

The first time we made it, I didn't note the directions to stop after 10 minutes, and we just let it go and go and go and it took quite a while to finally freeze. The second time, it worked out much better, but I think we may have over-froze it a bit. It was a little hard to scoop, but I took out the ice, let the ball sit on the counter for a few minutes, and the texture was perfect!

The fat content of whatever you put in the ball, along with how vigorously the ball gets rolled will determine how long it takes to freeze properly. It may take a bit of trial and error.

Delicious, delicious trial and error.

We had a (literal!) ball with this dessert, and we're looking forward to making more flavors in the future. I love that it's possible to get this much flavor from just 3 ingredients! The French vanilla yogurt added a nice richness, and it had just the right amount of honey. Delicious!

One final note - the rock salt may be tricky to find. The instruction book that came with the ice cream ball says that you can substitute kosher or sea salt if you need to, but you should add an additional ¼ cup to the mix.

Asian Broccoli Slaw

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A zesty, sweet-and-spicy dressing is the perfect coating for this colorful cilantro-studded slaw.

I'm always down for a good slaw. Sweet, tangy, spicy - I love 'em all!

So for this slaw, I decided to switch up the regular ol' cabbage slaw for broccoli slaw, which adds a bit more texture to the mix.

And it's so pretty!

Asian Broccoli Slaw

Broccoli slaw mix is sold right in the salad greens section at the grocery store. There are several varieties, and this one had some purple cabbage and carrots in with the broccoli. It added a nice pop of color to the dish.

For the dressing, I went all out adding my favorite Asian flavors (chili, lime, fish sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger and honey) and whisked it up with a mix of low-fat plain yogurt and light mayo. It made for a rich and creamy dressing that wasn't too heavy. And it was absolutely delicious!

When I made this, I whisked everything in the bottom of a big bowl and threw the slaw ingredients on top to combine. I ended up having a bit too much dressing, so I'd advise you to either mix it separately and add part of it to the slaw first OR add in a few extra shredded carrots of something to bulk it up a bit. Nobody wants a soggy slaw!

This slaw tasted wonderful and held up well in the fridge for several days, becoming the perfect accompaniment to lunch and dinner throughout the week.

BBQ Ranch Chopped Chicken Salad

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Thanks to Tyson Foods for sponsoring this post. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.

This is part 2 of my Gather 'Round the Grill series (you can check out part 1 here).

Marinated, grilled chicken is shredded and tossed with a colorful array of veggies and BBQ ranch dressing for a bold, flavor-packed salad.

BBQ Ranch Chopped Chicken Salad

Now that grilling season is in full swing, we're starting to enjoy more family meals outside. I like creating recipes like this one, where I divvy up the dinner prep so everyone gets involved.

My toddler absolutely loves grocery shopping. He has so much fun helping to pick out the ingredients and adding them to the cart. I think getting him involved in all parts of planning and prepping meals has helped him be a more adventurous eater... usually. He is a 3-year-old, after all.

BBQ Ranch Chopped Chicken Salad

My husband is always happy to fire up the grill and cook up something tasty. For this meal, I gave him 4 Tyson® Fresh Chicken Thighs that I had marinated in a garlicky, lemony yogurt-Ranch mixture. I chose bone-in, skin-on thighs for this recipe because I knew that the skin would get nice and crispy and add some nice charred flavor throughout the salad. But feel free to use boneless, skinless instead.

He seared the chicken over direct heat, flipping them often to get the skin nice and crispy, then moved them to cook over indirect heat. Since the thighs we had were varied in size, he moved the smaller ones to the higher rack while the larger ones finished cooking.

BBQ Ranch Chopped Chicken Salad

I also had him throw 5 ears of corn on the grill. I only wanted to use 2 for this recipe, but what can I say... I'm originally from Indiana and I just love eating corn on the cob! The more, the merrier!

We like grilling corn with the husks on - the moisture helps steam the corn a bit as it grills, keeping it from drying out easily. Plus, it's super simple to throw it on the grill and peel it right before you need it.

BBQ Ranch Chopped Chicken Salad

Don't forget to include that delicious, crispy chicken skin when you shred up the thighs - there's a lot of flavor in there!

I used a bright mix of lettuces and veggies for this salad, but it's also a really good way to clean out your produce drawer. Just try to avoid using things that contain a lot of moisture if you plan on having this hold up in the fridge for leftovers.

BBQ Ranch Chopped Chicken Salad

I recommend starting with a bit of the dressing on the bottom of your salad bowl and drizzling some over top as well. Then toss it all together and serve the rest of the dressing on the side.

The mix of BBQ sauce and Ranch dressing is just ridiculously good. It has all of the tasty, sweet-and-smoky BBQ flavor with the creaminess of Ranch dressing. It always makes me think of a waiter years ago who called it Branch-a-que when he recommended that we mix the 2 sauces together for our chicken strips. Major yum.

BBQ Ranch Chopped Chicken Salad

This salad was so bright and vibrant. It  was the perfect way to enjoy grilled chicken without the heaviness of a lot of traditional BBQ dinners.

This holds up well overnight in the fridge, too. I packed some for lunch the next day and it was as good (if not better!) than on day one.

BBQ Ranch Chopped Chicken Salad

My family loved this salad, and I hope yours will too!

The Hidden Valley® Original Ranch® Salad Dressing & Seasoning Mix and Tyson® Fresh Chicken Thighs are available at Walmart for a great value, and you can be inspired by their produce aisle to pick your own custom salad mix-ins. Or just bring a toddler with you - they love to help pick out bright, colorful veggies!

Tyson Gather \'Round the Grill Logo.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Tyson Foods Inc. The opinions and text are all mine.

New England-Style Shrimp Rolls with Grilled Green & Yellow Wax Bean Salad

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Fresh tarragon and Old Bay Seasoning boost the flavor of this light and fresh New England classic.

I had never tried a shrimp (or lobster) roll before I moved to the East Coast. There's something so beautifully simple about succulent seafood dressed lightly with mayo and seasonings that makes a perfect sandwich.

New England-Style Shrimp Rolls with Grilled Green & Yellow Wax Bean Salad

Old Bay Seasoning is hugely popular in New England. You'll find it in both seafood and non-seafood dishes throughout the area. It adds a very unique flavor to the dishes it appears in.

The top-sliced hot dog buns are another key to making this authentic. If you can't find them, feel free to substitute with regular hot dog buns.

These shrimp rolls were super easy and oh.so.delicious. The shrimp was super tender and the dressing packed a ton of flavor. The bean salad was a great accompaniment - I appreciated having something so light and fresh alongside this sandwich since it's usually served with chips.

I could eat one of these sandwiches any day of the week!

Just a note – the recipes from Blue Apron call for “1 bunch” of herbs, and that correlates to the size of the “bunch” they send if you’re using their service (which I’m absolutely in love with!). I’d say their bunches are about 1-2 tablespoons. When it calls for a “large bunch”, it’s usually about twice that amount.

  • 8 Ounces Shrimp
  • 2 Top-Sliced Hot Dog Buns
  • 3 Ounces Green Beans
  • 3 Ounces Yellow Wax Beans
  • 1 Lemon
  • 1 Stalk Celery
  • 1 Bunch Tarragon
  • 2 Teaspoons Dijon Mustard
  • 2 Teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning
  • 1 Mini Bottle Tabasco Hot Sauce
  • 1 Shallot
  • ¼ Cup Mayonnaise

See Blue Apron for the full recipe.

Power-Packed Tacos + a Stonyfield Made to Matter Sneak Peek

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This post was created in partnership with Stonyfield and Target. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.

One of the things I love about working with Stonyfield is getting the scoop on fun new products that are in the works. This year, they've teamed up with Target and 30 other innovative wellness brands to become part of the Made to Matter campaign. Together, they're making it more accessible for families to purchase healthy, sustainable products from companies who are focused on their impact on our environment.

Target Made To Matter Products

I was lucky enough to get to splurge on an assortment of goodies from the different brands who are participating in this campaign. I had my 3-year-old at the store with me, and we had a field day sifting through all the options, both from brands we've enjoyed before as well as some that were new (to us).

We picked up loads of snacks that have been finding their way into picnic lunches, play dates and road trips ever since. And they're things that I can feel good about my family eating - no high fructose corn syrup or sketchy chemical ingredients.

As part of the Made to Matter campaign, Stonyfield is rolling out six new flavors of Greek yogurt that are exclusive to Target stores. They're hitting the shelves in Target stores nationwide in July and August. The yogurts are packed with seeds and grains, to give them a little extra oomph. I can't wait to get my hands on some to try them out! The flavors, which are all certified organic, gluten-free, low-fat and non-GMO each pack 13 grams of protein per cup in 2 varieties: Super Seeds & Super Grains.

Stonyfield Super Seeds BlueberryStonyfield Super Grains Strawberry

The Super Seeds Greek Yogurt comes with flax seeds in 3 flavors: Blueberry, Coconut and Orange Cranberry. The Super Grains Greek Yogurt comes with buckwheat & quinoa in 3 flavors: Strawberry, Maple and Vanilla. I think I'll need to QC each flavor before I pick a favorite (review forthcoming!).

I wasn't aware that Target had a wellness grocery brand, and now I'm completely enamored with Simply Balanced (as evidenced by the large portion of Made to Matter goodies that I picked out that fall under that brand). I was totally intrigued by the recipe for Power-Packed Tacos on the back of the box of Simply Balanced butternut squash purée. We have tacos pretty frequently in my house, and it's always nice to do a little something different with them.

Power-Packed Tacos

These tacos came together in a snap, and I used it as an excuse to clean out my produce drawer. I keep a stash of taco seasoning on hand all the time (this homemade mix ROCKS), and I had some tortillas in the pantry to serve them in. My family loves using plain Stonyfield Greek yogurt as a sour cream alternative.

Also, did you notice that my radishes were smiling at me? They totally were. I guess they came from a happy farm 🙂

A photo posted by Ashley Covelli (@bigflavors) on

The butternut squash added a really nice richness to the meat. It was subtle but definitely different than with the standard seasoning mix only flavor.

I also had some baby arugula in the fridge, and the peppery flavor went really well with the other toppings. I think I may start defaulting to that instead of romaine or iceberg for Taco Tuesdays in the future! I added a few green onions, some cilantro and some shredded cheddar. I couldn't pick between soft shells or crunchy, so we did both. Go big or go home, right?

Power-Packed Tacos

These tacos were great, and I love that they were packed with more nutrients than normal. I think I may just start stirring in puréed veggies into my taco meat on a regular basis now!

Thanks again to Stonyfield & Target for sponsoring this deliciousness! We've really been enjoying our goodies from Annie's, Cascadian Farm, Ella's Kitchen, Justin's, KIND, Method, Mrs. Meyer's, Simply Balanced, Yes To and Zarbee's.

Lamb & Risotto-Style Ditalini Pasta with Spring Onion & Green Beans

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Fresh mint and lemon brighten up this hearty pasta dinner.

Using lamb instead of beef (or in this case, in addition to beef) is such a nice way to switch things up when it comes to dinner. We really enjoyed this Blue Apron meal - the 2 meats complimented each other beautifully!

Lamb & Risotto-Style Ditalini Pasta with Spring Onion & Green Beans

It was nice having the crisp-tender beans folded into the pasta, which gets creaminess from Parmesan cheese and a bit of butter. I wouldn't say that this actually reminded me of risotto, but it definitely was a big bowl of comfort food.

Just a note - the recipes from Blue Apron call for "1 bunch" of herbs, and that correlates to the size of the "bunch" they send if you're using their service (which I'm absolutely in love with!). I'd say their bunches are about 1-2 tablespoons. When it calls for a "large bunch", it's usually about twice that amount.

  • 7 Ounces Ground Lamb & Beef Blend
  • 5 Ounces Ditalini Pasta
  • 6 Ounces Green Beans
  • 3 Cloves Garlic
  • 1 Spring Onion
  • 1 Lemon
  • 1 Bunch Mint
  • 1 Tablespoon Butter
  • ¼ Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

See Blue Apron for the full recipe.

Strawberry-Lemonade Layer Cake

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Summer is calling! Fresh strawberries and lemon make an appearance in each component of this refreshingly decadent 4 layer cake.

You guys.

This cake.

It needs to be in your life, STAT.

Strawberry-Lemonade Layer Cake

Layer cakes are a bit intimidating to make, but the results are drop-dead gorgeous!

I wanted to make a fancy dessert for Father's Day this year, and after a few weeks with minimal kitchen time due to a sprained ankle I was ready to go big or go home.

This is the tallest layer cake I've made to date. The first real layer cake I made was only 2 layers, and I left it a bit "rustic" in terms of frosting. It was beautiful, but I wanted to try a taller cake.

Strawberry-Lemonade Layer Cake

I only have 2 cake pans, so I baked 2 of the layers, cleaned out the pans and re-prepped them and baked the last 2. I let the batter sit in the fridge while the first 2 layers were baking.

I also cut a parchment round for each cake pan, so when it came to greasing and flouring, I greased the pan, placed the parchment round in the bottom, greased that and then floured it all. It was a little tricky to do, but the cakes turned out of the pans beautifully.

One other thing that I ran into was that I didn't have cake flour, and I didn't really want to have another giant bag of something in my pantry. So I turned to this tutorial over on Joy the Baker's blog about how to make cake flour out of AP flour and cornstarch. Basically you're taking out 2 tablespoons per cup of flour and replacing that with cornstarch and sifting 5 (!!) times. She gives a lot of good information in her post, so I encourage you go go check it out.

Strawberry-Lemonade Layer Cake

Back to the cake. Holy moly did this turn out beautifully! The cake was moist and held together beautifully during assembly. The jam added the perfect pop of sticky sweetness between each layer. The frosting was light and fluffy (aaaaaalmost too much so) and just so, SO pretty.

My son was so excited to see me in the kitchen baking cake all day, and I kept telling him he had to wait until after dinner to try it. One bite and he proclaimed, "MOMMY!! This cake is DEEEEE-licious!". High praise from a 3-year-old ;).

It was a big hit with the adults, too. It's the best cake I've ever made, and was well worth the time investment for a special occasion.

Strawberry-Lemonade Layer Cake

The leftovers from this cake held up beautifully in the refrigerator for several days. I had a bit of extra frosting in a separate container in the fridge, so every time we had another slice, I'd just touch it up with more of the frosting.

I know the recipe says it's OK at room temp for 2 days, but I wouldn't risk it. I would, however, like to try out the suggestion for freezing baked layers for use later. That would make day-of assembly much easier!

Carrot Apple Ginger Refresher

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Fresh parsley and ginger liven up this refreshing 4 ingredient juice.

My son asked for carrot juice a while back, and I figured it would be fun to make some together with our  (severely underutilized) juicer.

But I couldn't just let carrot juice be carrot juice, so I raided the fridge and the garden and came up with this delicious combo.

Carrot Apple Ginger Refresher

He had a blast helping to scrub all the carrots while I cut them into smaller pieces to fit in our juicer.

This juice ended up being super refreshing! It was sweet but not too sweet from the apples, and the ginger added a nice kick. I really love adding a little fresh parsley to our juices - it has such a wonderful flavor that compliments other fruits and veggies beautifully. Plus, there are lots of health benefits - what's not to love?!

Carrot Apple Ginger Refresher

This juice was the perfect afternoon treat, and my 3-year-old loved it. And I felt good about him asking for a second glass later in the day. With no added sugar or unpronounceable ingredients, you just can't beat it!

Garlicky Goat Cheese + Herb Stuffed Peppadews

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Sweet and a little spicy, these addictive stuffed peppers are the perfect accompaniment to any appetizer spread!

Goat cheese is one of my favorite ingredients.

And what's better than an edible vehicle that makes delivering that tangy chèvre to your mouth easier?

Not much.

Garlicky Goat Cheese + Herb Stuffed Peppadews

These bite-sized beauties are so vibrant and addictive - they just burst with flavor. The goat cheese cools off the delicate heat that the peppadews (mild whole sweet piquanté peppers) pack.

I wanted to go for an Italian flavor combo, so I grabbed some basil, parsley and chives from my garden and chopped them finely to go in the mix. I also added a green onion for an extra layer of mild onion-y flavor.

Garlicky Goat Cheese + Herb Stuffed Peppadews

These peppers come together in a snap! The yogurt thins out the goat cheese enough to make it pipe-able. You may need a little more than what I call for in the recipe below if your goat cheese is a little on the firm side.

To make piping and cleanup easy, I used my OXO 8 Piece Baker's Silicone Decorating Bottle Kit with a star tip, which made them extra pretty for serving.

 
 
 
 
 
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These were a huge hit at my dinner party, and the few leftovers we managed to save held up beautifully in the refrigerator. That means you can totally make these ahead of time. Bonus!

Garlicky Goat Cheese + Herb Stuffed Peppadews

Looking for more bite-sized favorites? Check out these 5-star recipes:

Seared Salmon & Preserved Lemon with Red Quinoa & Pea Shoots

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Flaky, crispy-skinned salmon sits atop a bed of greens and grains with crunchy Persian cucumber and tangy quick-preserved lemons.

This seafood dinner was outstandingly delicious! We really loved the mix of quinoa and pea shoots. Soaking the shallots in vinegar helps mellow out the sharp flavor beautifully.

Seared Salmon & Preserved Lemon with Red Quinoa & Pea Shoots

My husband didn't care for the quick preserved lemons - he thought they were too bitter, but I enjoyed them. I think next time I'll look at using already preserved lemons (or preserving some ahead of time) to make this dish.

And that crispy salmon skin? SO. GOOD.

Seared Salmon & Preserved Lemon with Red Quinoa & Pea Shoots

  • 2 Skin-On Salmon Fillets
  • 1 Lemon
  • 1 Ounce Pea Shoots
  • 1 Persian Cucumber
  • 1 Tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar
  • 1 Shallot
  • 1 Tablespoon Sugar
  • ½ Cup Red Quinoa

See Blue Apron for the full recipe.

DOVEBARS with Whipped Coconut Cream + Maple Cinnamon Toasted Coconut Chips for #IceCreamMonth

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Thanks to Mars Ice Cream and DOVE or sponsoring this post. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.

It's National Ice Cream Day! Let's celebrate with dark chocolate coated vanilla ice cream bars topped with a double dose of coconutty goodness.

DOVEBARS with Whipped Coconut Cream + Maple Cinnamon Toasted Coconut Chips

My husband's parents' birthdays are 2 days apart, so we usually have a them over for dinner and dessert to celebrate together.

This year, I learned that my mother-in-law's birthday is on National Ice Cream Day.

How fitting, too, because she is a big fan of decadent desserts of any form, but especially those of the ice cream persuasion.

Since we had them over on a busy weeknight and I also needed time to cook dinner, I wanted to make a celebration-worthy dessert that didn't require a ton of work.

The thought of doing an ice cream sundae type of treatment to an ice cream bar sounded like a delicious solution!

DOVEBARS with Whipped Coconut Cream + Maple Cinnamon Toasted Coconut Chips

I decided to make a whipped cream out of coconut cream and toast up some sweet-and-salty coconut chips for a crunchy topping.

Chocolate and coconut go together so beautifully, and that combination is especially refreshing in ice cream form!

The coconut cream was a great way to pack in an extra layer of coconut flavor versus using heavy cream. Make sure to get full-fat coconut cream (not coconut milk) for this recipe.

The can needs to sit in the fridge overnight so the coconut solidifies and it's whip-able, so plan accordingly.

DOVEBARS with Whipped Coconut Cream + Maple Cinnamon Toasted Coconut Chips

The toasted coconut chips are sweet and salty - one of my favorite combos! The maple, cinnamon and vanilla flavors balance the saltiness out beautifully. Just make sure to watch the coconut while it's in the oven during the last few minutes so it doesn't burn.

The chips will harden as they cool, resulting in a wonderfully crispy topping that is an equally good snack on its own. Any leftovers (if you have them!) will keep well in an airtight container for a few days.

So for this year's birthday dinner, I made a Fresh Corn Sauté w Red Pepper & Onion to go alongside Pork Medallions w Scallions & Magic Green Sauce.

I had made the coconut chips in the afternoon, so after we finished eating, I whipped up the coconut cream and dessert was ready!

Once dessert time came around, everyone had a great time adding dollops of the coconut cream along with a sprinkling of coconut chips to their ice cream bars.

And I just love the feeling when the dark chocolate coating on the DOVEBAR cracks when you take a bite. Yum!

Francine DOVEBAR
Ian DOVEBAR
Dino DOVEBAR
Settino DOVEBAR

This was a really fun way to enjoy dessert on a hot summer day while enjoying some quality time with my family. Their annual birthday celebration was a big success! And now that I know that my mother-in-law's birthday is on National Ice Cream Day, I think ice cream will be on the menu every July 19th!

DOVEBARS come in 5 flavors: Vanilla Ice Cream with Milk or Dark Chocolate, Chocolate Ice Cream with Dark Chocolate, Mint Swirl Ice Cream with Dark Chocolate and Caramel Cashew with Milk Chocolate. They're available in both single size as well as miniatures (which are only 60-70 calories per piece). You can find the multi-packs at most grocery stores and the singles at convenience and drug stores nationwide.

Want to get social with Dove? Check them out on Facebook and Twitter.

Fresh Peach Bellinis + LaMarca Prosecco Review

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Ripe, juicy peaches are blended with lemon juice and sugar, strained and topped off with chilled sparkling wine in this delightful cocktail recipe.

Our last contribution to our Ina Garten themed Supper Club dinner was this simple, delicious cocktail.

Fresh Peach Bellinis

This cocktail is really simple and elegant. It takes a bit of time and patience to strain the solids from the peach purée, but it's well worth your time.

I doubled this and bought 2 bottles of Prosecco and it was just enough to keep everyone content throughout our decadent dinner.

Fresh Peach Bellinis

This would be perfect for a brunch gathering as well. And I'm sure it would work with frozen peaches in a pinch.

Fresh Peach Bellinis

Speaking of Prosecco, LaMarca was kind enough to send a few bottles my way. I took the 2 mini ones with us on vacation last week. There's something about sipping crisp, bubbly Prosecco while breathing in the beach air. Mmm... talk about paradise!

The Prosecco was great in the bellinis a few weeks ago, and absolutely delicious on its own as well. It's by far the tastiest Prosecco I've had. It's nice and bright with a citrusy, honey flavor. It's light with lots of bubbles, and it went exceptionally well well with all of the seafood we enjoyed while we were in Ocean City, MD.

LaMarca Prosecco

I also loved that the mini bottles look like they have the big champagne corks, but they're actually twist-off style. I'll admit that I'm a totally wimp with opening bottles of bubbly, so those were right up my alley!

*Note: I received complimentary LaMarca Prosecco, but was in no other way compensated. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.