Nuevo cubano sandwiches and summer peach & tomato salad

Dinner last night was nuevo cubano sandwiches and summer peach and tomato salad, both from Cooking Light. We subbed turkey instead of ham on the sandwiches (personal preference), and chose mango over tomatoes. I couldn't find any wheat hoagies I liked, so we used wheat sandwich thins, which worked great. This is a simple and delicious sandwich! Robert was skeptical about the salad at first, but he was smitten after the first bite. I peeled the peaches for ours - I don't mind a little fuzz, but Robert isn't a fan - and scaled everything down as I was only cooking for two. I also took reviewer's suggestions to use balsamic vinegar in place of sherry vinegar - we prefer balsamic, and it gives the salad a caprese-like twist.

Chunky gazpacho with shrimp

Dinner tonight was chunky gazpacho with shrimp from Cooking Light magazine. It was listed in the magazine as a quick meal (40 minutes), but I worked ahead and made it in the morning so it could chill for the rest of the day. I added about a tbsp of olive oil, and we topped ours with sauteed shrimp, sliced avocado and cheese crostini. This cold dish was so refreshing on this hot day!!

Rosemary chocolate chip shortbread

I saw this recipe for rosemary chocolate chip shortbread on Food Network last week and thought hmmm, now that's an interesting combination. The recipe is simple and I had all the ingredients on hand, so I just had to try it. I subbed 1 tsp of fresh rosemary in place of the 1/2 tsp of dried because I happened to have some in the fridge. These shortbread cookies are delicious!!! The rosemary flavor is subtle, but just enough to elevate them into something special. Try it!

Chorizo and potato tacos

We had chorizo and potato tacos this week, a recipe from Food Network magazine. We fell in love with these tacos instantly, and Robert asked that they be added to our permanent rotation. I halved the recipe, which made 4 tacos using the small soft taco-size tortillas (also, we subbed flour for corn tortillas). DELICIOUS!

Grilled peaches with blackberry basil butter

Continuing with the peach theme, dessert tonight was grilled peaches with blackberry basil butter, a recipe from Southern Living magazine. The butter is a unique blend of flavors, and goes perfect with warm, grilled peaches!

Pimiento cheeseburgers

Dinner tonight was pimiento cheeseburgers from the Rachael Ray show. I have writer's block on what to say about them, other than they were simple to make and tasted great. Enjoy!

Chicken and peaches

It's peach season, one of my favorite times of the year. I love fresh peaches, and my Nannie delivered a bag of them when she visited earlier this week. I love to eat them plain, but am experimenting with them in recipes also. This week we tried Rachael Ray's chicken and peaches. I knew this recipe was a risk, because Robert typically doesn't like fruity-meat dishes -but I thought the hot sauce and Worcestershire would keep it from being too sweet, and I was right! We both really enjoyed this one!

Fried chicken

We tried a new fried chicken recipe from Food & Wine magazine last week, and it was a huge hit! The buttermilk soak added lots of flavor and kept the chicken juicy, and the batter made it crispy and delicious! Yum!

(I couldn't find the pictures I took so I borrowed one from the website).

Lemon-lime sugar cookie truffles

I made these lemon-lime sugar cookie truffles for our Bachelorette watch party this week. These are similar to a cake ball, but with different flavors. These were delicious and a big hit with the group!

Spicy poblano burgers (Guest Post)

Dinner last night was spicy poblano burgers from Cooking Light magazine.

Lindsay made these (with some Sous Chef help from me), but I wanted to do the post because these suckers were GOOD. The burgers were juicy and flavorful (with a little heat but not too much), and the pickled red onion was a nice topping. But the showstopper was the chipotle cream spread. It was just enough to cool down the heat of the poblano and was bursting with flavor. It was Yum. Seriously. Make it.