I often think after visiting the West Coast that I would love to live on the west coast.  Sunny skies, sandy beaches, mild temperatures, etc.  But then I come back to my Midwest home and remember why I love living here – the change in seasons.

We have a very distinct, especially this year it seems, separation of spring, summer, winter and fall.  And most of all, I love that, toward the end of one season, everyone has a huge anticipation for the following season.  And while fall will probably continue to be my favorite, weather-wise, Spring wins the award for best produce.

My friends, the farmer’s markets are open, my herb garden is planted, the trees and plants and shrubs in our yard are in bloom and I’m determined to grow a green thumb!  But regardless of my current gardening abilities, I can make a mean salad.  I love, love, love throwing fresh berries onto a salad of spinach, which is the base for this one.

And I decided to take a little risk with this dressing.  Working with Frangelico has opened my eyes to new salad dressing possibilities.  The idea popped into my mind when I thought about adding toasted hazelnuts to a salad – so why not make a dressing out of hazelnut liqueur?

Fortunately, Frangelico is not a cream-based liqueur so the dressing is low in calories, light-tasting, sweet and spring-y. I was afraid it would be way too sweet but the oil and herbs balanced it perfectly and this will definitely be a favorite go-to salad this summer!

Check out Frangelico online at http://bit.ly/15uibj3 and follow them on Facebook at http://on.fb.me/10vHfFv for more exciting recipes.

Toasted Hazelnut & Summer Berry Salad with Frangelico Dressing

Yield: 2 as a main dish; 4 as a side

Total Time: 20 min

A summer-inspired salad with fresh baby spinach, strawberries, blueberries, asiago cheese, toasted hazelnuts and a homemade Frangelico Vinaigrette.

Ingredients:

for the dressing:
1/4 cup + 2 Tbs. grapeseed (or olive) oil
1 Tbs. Frangelico Hazelnut Liqueur
1 Tbs. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 clove garlic, grated

for the salad:
1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts
4 cups baby spinach leaves, roughly chopped
2 cups fresh strawberries, quartered
1 cup fresh blueberries
1/4 cup grated asiago cheese + more for serving

Directions:

Mix the dressing in a jar or dressing cruet until combined.

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the hazelnuts to the dry pan and toast for 5-6 minutes, shaking often, until then hazelnuts are golden brown and fragrant. Remove from the pan.

In a large bowl, combine the spinach, strawberries, blueberries and toasted hazelnuts. Toss with tongs until all ingredients are distributed evenly. Add 1/4 cup asiago cheese and serve with the prepared dressing. Garnish with additional cheese as desired.

Serve with the dressing.

Cassie’s Notes:
If you plan to serve this salad as a main dish, you might try adding some grilled chicken or shrimp just before serving.

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Frangelico.  All opinions are my own. 

The post Toasted Hazelnut & Summer Berry Salad with Frangelico Dressing appeared first on Bake Your Day.

Are you stick of hearing stories about me adjusting to life after Kansas City?  Well I have one more today and it revolves around Trader Joe’s and a salsa that I found there about two weeks before we moved our lives to Central Missouri.  Tomato-less Sweet Corn & Pepper Salsa.  It’s slightly sweet with a hint of spice and beautiful textures that I – kid you not – discovered two weeks before we moved.

Why is this an issue?  Well, because we are at least two hours from the nearest TJ’s.  This is troublesome, my friends.  My favorite wine, my favorite cheese, my favorite coffee and now my favorite sweet corn salsa can only be found in that funky little store.

I’m done ranting now.  Not because they have decided to build a Trader Joe’s here but because it’s summer time and because sweet corn is readily available at my local farmer’s market, along with red bell peppers and jalapeno peppers and combined together with some onions, sugar, mustard seed and seasonings, I made what I believe to be a pretty close competitor.

Paul, although biased, voted mine to be better – it tasted fresher with farmer’s market ingredients and he thought the sweetness was much more balanced in the fresh version.  I might be able to make it without a TJ’s after all!

And what better salsa to kick off summer on Memorial Day.  Your BBQ won’t be complete without this perfect sweet and spicy mix!

The full recipe can be found at Imperial Sugar: Sweet Corn & Pepper Salsa!

Disclosure: I have an ongoing relationship with Imperial Sugar for recipe development.  All opinions are my own. 

The post Tomato-less Sweet Corn Salsa (Trader Joe’s Copycat!) appeared first on Bake Your Day.

Well, here we are, Monday!  I have to say that I feel pretty ready to take on this week.  I’m anxious to see what this week of work brings but also excited because we had a down-right awesome weekend.

On Friday Paul and I hosted a cookout at our house with some new friends.  The weather, the food and the people were all fabulous.  I underestimated the amount of energy that an event like that can bring.  On Saturday we got to spend the day together, roamed around town, and enjoyed some patio time at a local brewery.  Once again, I felt so energized by just being out and about in the spring sun!  Sunday we got to worship together, celebrated some graduates and had the opportunity to take a scenic walk through our neighborhood.  Definitely energized for this week!

And Monday can always be celebrated when we are talking about cinnamon rolls!

I have mentioned a time or two that cinnamon-sugar is one of my favorite flavor combinations.  And there is not a thing in this world that takes me back to my childhood in my great-grandmother’s kitchen more than cinnamon rolls.  Classic buttery, ooey-gooey cinnamon rolls, straight from the oven – nothing is better!

These cinnamon rolls are incredibly easy and the best part is that they are completely done within a couple of hours of starting the process – so say goodbye to your mother’s multi-day recipe!  They are very simple and straight-forward and the recipe could easily be doubled for a large gathering.  I took these to a “breakfast for dinner” gathering with some of my small group ladies and definitely came home with an empty pan!

Classic Cinnamon Rolls

Yield: 12 rolls

Total Time: 2 hours

A quick recipe for yeast cinnamon rolls with a classic vanilla icing.

Ingredients:

for the dough:
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup butter
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 (.25 ounce) package instant yeast (I use Red Star Platinum)
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup water
1 egg

filling:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbs. ground cinnamon

icing:
2 cups powdered sugar
2-3 Tbs. milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

Directions:

Heat the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove from heat. Mix in butter; stir until melted. Let cool until lukewarm.

In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 1/4 cup flour, yeast, sugar and salt; whisk together. Add water, egg and the milk mixture; beat well with an electric mixer. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, using a wooden spoon to stir well after each addition. (dough will be too thick and sticky to use the mixers at this point.)

When the dough has just pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes. (dough will spring back when lightly pressed.)

Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let rest for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, brown your butter by placing it in a small microwave safe glass bowl or container. Cover it with a saucer or other well-fitted cover and microwave for 3-5 minutes. Butter will melt, pop and then turn brown. (you can also do this over the stove-top, but I find the microwave method pretty easy.) While butter cools slightly, mix together brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough into a 12x9 inch rectangle. (use your 9x13 baking dish as a guide.) Using a pastry brush- slather the dough with most of the brown butter. (It will feel like a lot, but use most of it.) Sprinkle dough with cinnamon sugar mixture and press in lightly so it doesn't fall out when you roll it. Roll up dough and pinch seam to seal. Cut into 12 equal size rolls and place in a 9x13 baking dish. Drizzle with remaining brown butter. Cover and let the rolls rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until browned. Let cool for about 10 minutes. While the rolls cool, mix the icing ingredients together in a small bowl and whisk until combined. Adjust the milk or powdered sugar amounts to reach the desired consistency. Spread the frosting evenly over the slightly-cooled cinnamon rolls and serve warm.

Adapted from

If you are a cinnamon-sugar fan like me, check out my Cinnamon-Sugar board on Pinterest.

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The post Classic Cinnamon Rolls appeared first on Bake Your Day.

I have almost survived my first week back to work and for the most part it feels gooood!  I love being out of the house and around other people.  I’m learning new things and I’m enjoying myself.

I feel a little bit like I’m going in a few different directions all at once but it’s good.  Although I am feeling a little bit behind around here.  I hope to be feeling a little more settled in a week or two so just ride this along with me!

This week has consisted of quick and simple suppers.  Tuna salad one night, takeout one night and these quick and simple flatbread pizzas another.  What makes these so, so simple is FlatOut Flatbread.

The FlatOut Flatbreads come in several different flavors and they are perfectly thin and crisp up just the way I like my pizza crust.  I chose a variety of toppings for this one that were inspired by Laurie’s Prosciutto Wrapped, Gorgonzola Stuffed Dates.  These things are the real deal so I couldn’t imagine that the toppings wouldn’t make an amazing flatbread pizza.

And they did – with the addition of caramelized onions and toasted pine nuts because, well everything is better with both of those additions.  This combination is a new family favorite, I’m certain of that!

You can find FlatOut Flatbreads in several varieties at your local Walmart store – or use their product locator!  FlatOut is currently hosting the 30 Days of Grilled Pizza going on over on their Facebook Page.

And they are hosting a fabulous giveaway! A two night trip for 2 to Taste of Chicago Food Festival is up for grabs.  The event is July 10-14, 2013!  Enter in the widget below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Prosciutto, Date & Caramelized Onion Flatbread Pizza with Gorgonzola Cheese

Yield: 3 pizzas; 3 as a main dish/6 as an appetizer

Total Time: 25 min

A fun and savory flatbread pizza with Flatout Flatbreads - prosciutto, dates, caramelized onions, toasted pine nuts and gorgonzola cheese all come together for a quick meal!

Ingredients:

2 Tbs. olive oil, divided
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
1/4 tsp. salt
3 original Flatout Flatbreads
3 ounces prosciutto
8 ounces pitted dates, halved
4 ounces gorgonzola crumbles
2 ounces pine nuts, toasted

Directions:

Heat one tablespoon of the oil in a large non-stick skillet. Add the onions and a pinch of salt and cook until the onions begin to soften. Cover the pan and cook for about 20 minutes, stirring often, until the onions are very soft and golden brown. Remove from heat.

While the onions cook, heat an outdoor grill. Brush one side of each flatbread with olive oil and place on the grill, oil side-up, for about 2 minutes to toast slightly. I did this to ensure a crispy crust. Remove from the grill.

Add a thin layer of prosciutto to each flatbread, top with the dates, gorgonzola and pine nuts. When the onions are caramelized, add a thin layer to each flatbread pizza.

Return to the grill until the cheese is melty and the ingredients are heated through, 3-4 minutes.

Alternate cooking method: Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Brush the flatbread with olive oil as instructed and toast in the oven for 3-4 minutes. Top as directed and then bake in the same oven for an additional 6-7 minutes.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Flatout. All opinions are always my own.

The post Prosciutto, Date & Caramelized Onion Flatbread Pizza with Gorgonzola Cheese appeared first on Bake Your Day.

I started my new job yesterday!  First of all, thank you so much for all of the amazingly kind emails, tweets, texts and messages.  You all and your support mean the world to me and I’m ever-so-grateful for all of the encouragement!

The first day was great!  It was mostly first-day kind of stuff like paperwork, lots of “nice to meet you’s”, systems talk, etc.  I am really looking forward to the next couple of days and really diving into it, meeting clients and really learning what the job will be about.  I’m sure I’ll share along the way.

I’m sure I’ll also share how I’m learning to balance things around here.  Let me tell you – it was H.A.R.D. to be away from social media all day.  Let me also say that I think it might be a healthy separation, but not an easy one to adjust to.

I know this whole thing is going to take some adjustment and patience so I thought that some simple go-to summer meals would perfect on this week’s menu.  Meals like this one – Asian Fish Cakes with Homemade Teriyaki Sauce.

We love teriyaki sauce but like so many things, a homemade version is so much better if only to skip the processed ingredients!  This one is super simple and is made with ingredients that I would bet you already have in your pantry.  The fish cakes come together so quickly, are full of amazing flavor and can be made ahead of time – perfect for a quick weeknight meal or weekend lunch!

Head on over to Imperial Sugar for the recipe for these Fish Cakes and Teriyaki Sauce and check out their other recipes too!

Disclosure: I have an ongoing relationship with Imperial Sugar for recipe development.  All opinions are my own. 

The post Asian Fish Cakes with Homemade Teriyaki Sauce appeared first on Bake Your Day.

I’m sad and somewhat embarrassed to admit that I’ve never been much of a gardener.  I want to be so badly.  My mom has a very green thumb and I envy it.  I’ve tried – and failed – many times.  Herbs, tomatoes, potted plants, and just no luck.

But I have a new determination this year.  The former owner of our new home was a Master Gardener.  Master Gardener, people.  My mother-in-law is a Master Gardener.  I am not.  But our yard is beautifully landscaped, there are many different flowers and plants and shrubs planted; the wisteria is blooming on our back deck and I’m totally terrified that I’m going to kill something.  So I am fully determined to change my black thumb into a green one, and I’m determined to do it quickly!

Last weekend I went to a plant sale that is put on by the local Master Gardeners and bought a few things, including lots of fresh herbs, and spent one afternoon this week planting everything.  I guess I’m off to a good start, right?!

Of course, one herb I planted was thyme.  I loved the satisfaction of walking out onto the deck and picking it right from my planter.  I really love thyme but I really don’t love picking all of those leaves off of the stems!  However, the effort was completely worth it for this pound cake.  I came across this recipe in the recent issue of Fine Cooking Magazine and fell in love immediately.  The sweetness of the polenta was a perfect match with the fresh thyme and the fresh blueberry sauce is so simple, with a little touch of lemon.  This pound cake screams spring!

Thyme & Polenta Pound Cake with Simple Blueberry Sauce

Yield: 10 slices

Prep Time: 15 min

Total Time: 2 hours 10 min

Soft and buttery and full of summer flavor with polenta, fresh thyme and a simple blueberry sauce.

Ingredients:

for the blueberry sauce:
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbs. water
1 pint fresh blueberries
Zest of 1 lemon
Pinch of salt

for the pound cake:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
6 2/3 ounces (1 2/3 cups) cake flour
1/3 cup polenta
2 Tbs. finely chopped fresh thyme
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
5 eggs, room temperature
1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. almond extract

Directions:

for the blueberry sauce:
Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan. Stirring constantly, cook over low heat until the sugar is dissolved. Add the blueberries, lemon zest and salt and increase the heat to medium-high. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally until the sauce thickens slightly, 1-2 minutes. Remove from the heat.

for the pound cake:
Heat the oven to 325 degrees and generously spray a 9x5-inch loaf pan with non-stick spray.

In a small bowl, mix the cake flour, polenta, thyme leaves and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium-high until fluffy and white, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time and mix well after each addition. Add the lemon juice, vanilla extract, and almond extract and mix just to combine.

Add the dry ingredients with the mixer on low speed and mix just until all of the dry ingredients are combined.

Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Tap gently on the counter to pop any air bubbles. Bake for 75 to 80 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool in the loaf pan on a wire rack for 15-20 minutes, then gently remove from the pan and transfer to a cutting board. Serve warm with the prepared blueberry sauce.

Recipe from Fine Cooking Magazine, June/July 2013

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So you might have heard a little news floating around social media the last few days – I am going back to work!  On Monday!  I’m having a hard time explaining the emotions I’m feeling about it.

Let’s back up a bit.  A little over three months ago, Paul and I moved away from Kansas City for his job. I had been in a job that I wasn’t 100% happy with all the time and I truly hoped to pursue blogging full-time at some point in the future.  I think part of me felt like it was just the thing to do: I really love this space, recipe development, writing and photography; another part of me just really wanted out of my corporate job.  Luckily, at that time, I was able to do some blogging and social media stuff during the day, did a lot over the weekend but found that I could juggle it fairly well.

Fast forward to the move in January…I obviously quit my job in KC for the move and we decided that I would try the full time blogging/freelance thing.  I was excited to finally be taking the step that I had wanted for a while.

Except I quickly found that the grass wasn’t so green on this side of the fence…at least not for me.  To be completely honest, I found that my blog going from “hobby” to “job” very, very quickly seemed to suffocate my creativity.  I need to meet new people; need to have goals and deadlines, a job description and a schedule.  I found out I’m just not ready to be a full-time blogger.

So I started to think back to the real reasons I started my blog and to my love of food and cooking.  Jackie summed it up perfectly last week and I resonate so much with this post.  It’s OK to just post what we eat for dinner; it’s OK to not post every day; it’s OK to post something without worrying whether or not it will go viral on Pinterest.

And it’s OK to blog for fun;  to blog to be creative; to create recipes for my family because that’s what I love to do; to improve my food photography because I love it – and have a lot to learn;

It’s OK to go back to work full-time and keep blogging on the side; it’s OK to not read and comment on 100 blogs per day and share on Pinterest and Twitter and Google+.  So that’s what I’m doing on Monday – going back to work.  And to be honest, I have no idea what things will look like around here.  I promise to keep cooking and keep sharing…just stick with me while I figure it all out.

I haven’t said this in a while but I really love you guys.  Thank you for always being here and every word of encouragement you breathe! 

I guess I should mention this Jalapeno Popper Pasta, huh?  You know we love spicy food.  Among the favorite spicy foods of Paul’s is jalapeno poppers – like Sonic-style Jalapeno Poppers.  He could eat them every day!  So I turned them into a simple pasta – a super simple cream cheese-based sauce with onions, garlic and jalapenos, tossed with pasta and topped with toasty, nutty brown butter breadcrumbs to give a nod to the breading of a jalapeno popper.  We loved this pasta – it was flavorful with a good kick from the peppers, but not too spicy as to over-power the other flavors in the dish!

Jalapeno Popper Pasta with Brown Butter Breadcrumbs

Yield: 4 servings

Total Time: 30 min

A quick recipe for Jalapeno Popper Pasta - a creamy, spicy sauce with jalapenos and asiago cheese and topped with brown butter breadcrumbs.

Ingredients:

8 ounces pasta (I used whole wheat gemelli)

for the breadcrumbs:
2 Tbs. Butter
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/4 tsp. kosher salt

for the pasta sauce:
1 Tbs. olive oil
1/2 cup yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 jalapenos, chopped (about 1/4 cup), remove some of the seeds
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup milk
4 ounces (about 1/2 cup) asiago cheese, shredded
1/2 cup pasta cooking water
Black pepper to taste

Directions:

Cook the pasta according to package directions. While the pasta water comes to a boil, make the breadcrumbs by browning the butter in a small sauce pan. Let the butter melt over medium-high heat until bubbly. Stir with a wire whisk and continue to do so until the color changes and you see brown flakes show up on the bottom of the pan, the butter will have a nutty, almost sweet fragrance. This will take 7-8 minutes. Watch closely because the butter will burn easily.

Remove from the heat, stir in the breadcrumbs and salt and set aside.

While the pasta cooks, heat the oil in a high-sided skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic, along with a small pinch of salt and cook until fragrant and softened, about 5 minutes. Add the jalapenos and stir. Cook for another 2-3 minutes, stirring often. Add the cream cheese and when it begins to melt, add the milk, about 1/4 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition.

After the cream cheese is melted and the milk is incorporated, add the asiago cheese and 1/4 cup pasta water and stir well to combine. Add the additional 1/4 cup pasta water and season with pepper to taste.

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