July 23, 2013

Pepper jack and zucchini cornbread

Cut pieces of pepper jack and zucchini cornbread.

Oh, zucchini season... Once the zucchinis start to arrive, it's like we try to add them to everything. Grated zucchini in this and grated zucchini in that. But, in all honestly, that is OK by me. I love zucchini and enjoy finding different ways to use it. I was inspired to make this cornbread by this recipe which I modified a bit as seen below. The weather has become more bearable for using the oven, so it was the perfect time to give this cornbread a try. We just happened to have some leftover chili to eat up over the weekend and needed a side to go with it. I really love cornbread -- especially ones with cheese in them and/or a little kick from chiles. This cornbread is very savory and not sweet like many recipes that contain a lot of sugar. This was also the first time I tried sprouted wheat flour, but feel free to use all-purpose and/or some whole wheat flour.

Slice of pepper jack and zucchini cornbread.

July 15, 2013

Chocolate mint chocolate chip ice cream

Chocolate mint chocolate chip ice cream on an ice cream scoop.

It's really been heating up around here and that means ice cream and, um, more ice cream. When it's hot out, I really don't like to cook as much as I usually do, but churning up some fresh ice cream is another story. 

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After using fresh basil and lavender in previous ice creams I've made, I was inspired to incorporate another herb -- this time choosing mint -- which I have in my herb garden. Mint is perfect for ice cream because it's so refreshing, especially when it's cold. 

Rather than making mint chocolate chip ice cream (which I love), I decided to make the ice cream chocolate and mint. It was a great choice! We loved this ice cream and I'll definitely be making more of it as the summer continues.

Bowl of chocolate mint chocolate chip ice cream.

July 8, 2013

Broccoli salad with cheddar, cranberries, and sunflower seeds


My husband and I just enjoyed a few days in Wisconsin. We went there to see the Aldo Leopold Foundation. Since my husband and I both work in the environmental field, we've both wanted to visit this place for some time. While our ultimate goal was to see the natural areas, of course we made time for some foodie-related destinations. We visited a brewery, the National Mustard Museum, and, of course, a cheese shop. The Madison area is full of local foods and we loved it. When I got home from our 11ish hour drive though, it took a couple days to recover and get back into a cooking mood.