Leek and Bleu Cheese Crostinis

Have I mentioned my love for crostinis? Well, here's another variation on the amazingly versatile and fancy-seeming appetizer. This one's topped with leeks, blue cheese, and bacon crumbles for good measure. Another gem from smitten kitchen (although the bacon was totes my idea - omit if you want vegetarian). I brought it to a fancy ladies' brunch and it was a hit.

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Broccolini Puff Pastry Galette

Last year, I made a zucchini galette that had me drooling for more. It was unbelievable. Only thing is that making the dough is time-consuming and a bit onerous in that all the ingredients need to stay cold in order to get the flakiest dough. This time, I decided to take a short cut and use puff pastry instead. The galette came out great! The dough doesn't hold together as well as the previous galette but it is definitely a good way to get the galette look and flavor without having to make your own dough. This time, I filled it with broccolini and feta cheese!

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Strawberry Bread

I first made this bread over 5 years ago when I had a ton of leftover strawberries from a planned strawberry shortcake dessert that never panned out. I was a pretty inexperienced cook but managed to pull of this simple and delicious bread.

It lasted surprisingly long, even coming with me to my first Bonnaroo, where I met Don. Perhaps this bread is what won him over! Eh, probably not... but it's still great! I made it again recently and remembered how delicious and easy it is, and perfect for a summer breakfast, dessert, or snack.

Usually, when I see that a recipe has you preheating the oven in the first step (as I often do in my own recipes - sorry!), I think "yeah, okay - I'll preheat when I think there's actually 10 minutes before it goes in the oven." But here, you can preheat the oven right away! By the time it's preheated you are actually ready to put everything in, provided you aren't using a knife one-handed or something.

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Chicken with Cornmeal Dumplings

I made this back in April when it wasn't quite 90 degrees out yet, but I would still recommend it if you're looking for an easy one-pot meal - even in the summer! Plus, it calls for beer which, really, you can't go wrong with. I modified the original recipe by adding some broccoli for a bit more veggie-ness.

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