I have been promising to post about this dear cake for quite some time now! I am particularly fond of this cake, and it is always a huge crowd pleaser. The only disadvantage to the hummingbird cake is that it can pose as a threat to anyone with an allergy to nuts. However, with everything going on in this flavor powerhouse, you could probably get away with tossing the nuts out of the ingredient list and still swoon your fellow cake eaters!

U-Pick berry season has finally arrived in Northeast Ohio! Usually I get a round of strawberries in early June, but this year was a tragic year for strawberries and many of the U-Pick fields didn't open. The blueberries and raspberries picked up the slack and are really showing out this month. My sister and I ventured out to Rainbow Farms in Madison, OH for blueberries, then popped into another farm on the way home that had a big sign for U-Pick raspberries. 

Goat cheese is just one of those things that I get really crazy about. I mean it... I am a total weirdo about goat cheese! I have to temper my excitement when I see it on menus or discover a new flavor at the store. Fellow goat cheese lovers may share these feelings, but unfortunately my husband doesn't. Try as I might, I haven't convinced him that he likes goat cheese yet. I am not going to lie, a piece of me dies a little every time he turns down this beloved treat of mine. I am being dramatic, but I just can't fathom a world without goat cheese! 

Strawberry season has already kicked off in some parts of the country, but up here in Ohio we are still patiently waiting for the local U-Picks to open their patches to us. In the meantime, I have been making do with the fresh selections  at my local grocery store and keeping my eyes out for any early ripe ones to start trickling into the farmers markets.

Crawfish boils are such a fantastic spring/summer pastime in the south. During my first few years in the north, I would make sure to get my fill of crawfish when I came back to visit Mississippi. However, I really wanted to share the fun experience with my northern friends and family. I was super pumped when I did a little research to find that there are companies who ship live crawfish for an overnight delivery. I have ordered from Louisiana Crawfish Company a few times now, and they have been great to work with! 

During a recent visit to Toronto, I was able to soak up some amazing food inspiration. The city has such a rich food culture and I always come home ready to create or recreate something tasty! 

I must admit that I have been somewhat obsessed with Romesco sauce lately, and for good reason... it is insanely delicious! My husband isn't even a fan of bell peppers, but he can't get enough either. Romesco is a red pepper and nut based sauce that originated in Spain. It is usually made with roasted red pepper and raw or roasted almonds, pine nuts, or hazelnuts, along tomatoes, onions, a vinegar, and breadcrumbs.

For this recipe, I wanted to incorporate elements of the romesco sauce, but decided to toss the ingredients with a sweet potato dish instead of blending in the food processor for a smooth sauce. I also wanted to experiment with inviting some caramelized onions and cilantro to the party.

Spring cabbage will be in season before we know it and that means it will be time to make sauerkraut! Of course, you can always go to the store and buy a head of cabbage or a bag of shredded at any time of the year. However, nothing beats eating seasonally for the best flavor. There are vegetable fermentation crocks on the market if you are looking to make a larger batch, but I have fallen in love with the SUPER EASY method of making single batches in mason jars!

Having lived in Northeast Ohio for several years now, I decided that it was darn time I jumped on the pierogi bandwagon! Honestly, before moving up here, I didn't know a thing about these little dumpling darlings. A traditional Cleveland pierogi is simply a dumpling stuffed with potato and cheese or sauerkraut. I mean, what's not to love there?!

I have always had a relatively warm relationship with bagels. I can go a little crazy with them for a while, then try to tone down my carb intake a bit if I start to get too out of hand with them (however successful that may be is debatable hehe!). To appease my latest hankering, I decided to try making them myself.