Life as a Dill

Memorial Day Parade

I Heart Faces Photo Challenge: Best Photo Face from May

 

Snapped this photo of Finnian in front of a bunch of frolicking girls when grandma and grandpa came to visit.  He seems left out of all of the fun!

See more photos at I Heart Faces :) 

Visit

We all had a great time seeing Grandma and Grandpa Dill this weekend!  Since Saturday was a nice day, we went to one of our favorite nearby parks. This photo was snapped moments before we all got caught in a downpour:

Not sure who is getting the stink eye here... 

Slightly blurry, but I loved Finnian's expression too much: 

Finnian pointed at everything and yelled out what it was, just in case any of us had any doubts about what we were looking at. "Digger!" 

"Geese!" 

We really enjoyed having company. Hope grandma and grandpa visit again soon! :)

Mushroom, Onion, Roasted Red Pepper, and Goat Cheese Quesadilla

It’s no secret that I’m a goat cheese enthusiast.  If I see it as an ingredient on a menu item, it’s likely that I’ll be ordering that dish.  This simple quesadilla contains other favorite ingredients of mine, which all result in a very blissful meal.

Mushroom, Onion, Roasted Red Pepper, and Goat Cheese Quesadilla

one flour tortilla
olive oil
handful of sliced onions
handful of sliced mushrooms
handful of roasted red pepper slices
crumbled goat cheese
salt & pepper
sour cream
chopped scallions

Add 1 T olive oil to a skillet and heat over medium high.  Add onions and mushrooms and cook 5-10 minutes, turning heat down to medium once heated through.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Meanwhile, heat a bit of olive oil (1-2 t) over medium high heat in a nonstick skillet.  Add tortilla and pan fry until browned.  Fill tortilla with onions, mushrooms, roasted red pepper, and goat cheese, then fold over.  Top with sour cream and scallions.

I Heart Faces Photo Challenge: May Flowers

May ranks right up there as one of my favorite months of the year due to these intoxicating blossoms. The only bad thing about lilacs is that they have a half life of a chocolate chip cookie in my hands; wish they lasted much longer than the splendid two spring weeks in which they dot the landscape in the Hudson Valley.

Check out lovely photos of plant life this week at I Heart Faces :)

Mango, Avocado, and Mint Salsa

Mint adds an element of surprise to this chunky, fruity salsa that is packed with summer flavors. 

Mango, Avocado, and Mint Salsa
 
1 ripe mango, peeled and pitted
1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and diced
¼ cup finely diced red onion
1 roma tomato, diced
½ jalapeño pepper, finely minced and seeded
Juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Mix all ingredients together.  Serve with tortilla or pita chips.

Park

Artisan bread... the easy way

Start with this:

Get to this:

And end up with this:

Slap on some homemade butter and wonder why you bothered with the rest of dinner. It is that good!

Salted Almond Ice Cream

I am a sucker for the candied almonds found at fairs and from vendors on the streets of NYC.  This recipe needed to be made – and pronto!  The ice cream was wonderfully sweet with just the right amount of salty.  A keeper!

Salted Almond Ice Cream
the kitchn

2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
5 egg yolks
1/3 cup  and 2 ½ T granulated sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1 teaspoon pure almond extract
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2/3 cup chopped almonds

In a small skillet over medium heat, toast the almonds until they just begin to show color. Add 2 ½  tablespoons sugar and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring constantly, until nuts caramelize to a dark brown color, 3-5 minutes. Spread them out on a plate to cool. When cool, break the nuts apart.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, heat the milk and cream until it bubbles appear around the edge. Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks with 1/3 cup sugar and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Slowly pour about half of the hot milk into the egg mixture while whisking. Pour the egg and milk mixture back into the pan with the remaining milk, and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture coats the back of a spoon. Pour the custard into a metal bowl, stir in the almond and vanilla extracts, and set aside to cool.

Process the custard in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions.  When the mixture is the consistency of frozen yogurt, sprinkle in the nuts and process until it hardens further.