Crack Berry Salad

Can't.  Stop.  Eating.  This.

About a month ago I bought this bag of wheat berries, just grabbed 'em, no reason, didn't know what I'd make with them, just seemed like a good idea at the time.  They sat in my pantry for far too long, teasing me from their dark shelf, so I took the first step and soaked these babies in water over night, then cooked 'em in chicken broth and let them sit in my fridge for a day, still totally bewildered as to what to create.  I gave Henry a bite before cooling them off and he said, "They're not very good, right Mamma?"  Right, Henry. 

Until I added...

• Organic dried cranberries
• Chopped walnuts
• Diced red onion
• Chopped parsley
• Fresh squeezed lemon juice
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Red wine vinegar
• Salt and pepper

Then my husband took a bite and said, "This is like crack."

Mix and eat cold, (don't smoke it)

Super duper good.  Henry still didn't care to try it, but the numerous amount of people who traipse through our house will be fighting over the leftovers all day tomorrow.  New.  Fave.  Dish.   

Artichoke Pasta Alternative

I love a nice, steamed artichoke, luuuuuurv, in fact.  But after I'm into artichoke season for a while, I start to wonder, "What else can I do with this thing?"  Well, I was talking with my new, fabulous Health Counseling client, (yup, launched my new business:  One Healthy Mother, more on that soon), about a large portion of her life she spent living in Italy, (hence, the fabulous!), and truth be told, we were going over some no-no foods for her initial health goals, and with a sniffle she began revealing different Italian dishes she'll miss dreadfully.  (She ADORES a good, fresh Italian pasta dish, who doesn't!?)  And she told me about this sauce they just throw together in Italy on any given day during artichoke season.  I MUST go there!
(drill seargent-esque)
Me:  HOW DO WE LIKE OUR RECIPES?
You:  SIMPLE!
Me:  WHEN DO WE LIKE THEM SIMPLE?
You:  ALWAYS!
This is so simple, fresh, and delicious that I must share it with you.  My client tells me to just scrape the meat from the leaves of a steamed artichoke:

Although, full disclosure, because I'm always honest with you people, aren't' I?  If you have an extra pair of hands around the kitchen, or a teenager you can bribe to do this, scraping the meat off the artichoke leaves is a wee bit time-consuming.  Not my favorite thing to do, and I could have easily had two more full artichokes for this dish, IF I had the where with all to continue scraping, yes:  Each.  Individual.  Leaf.  Oy.

M'fingers got tired...

Scrap all you can, and also chop up the hearts:

Pile 'O scraped leaves

 Sautée some garlic and Extra Virgin Olive Oil in a pan on medium heat, add the artichoke scrapings, then mix in the pasta of your choice.  Mine is quinoa pasta.  Sprinkle of cheese and TA-DA!  A yummy, fresh, artichoke-infused pasta dish.  lovely.  Henry ate it very, very fast.

Do y'all have any other favorite artichoke recipes to share?  Please send them 

in or put them in the comment section.  Thank you, and as always, enjoy!

Boy, You've Got Some RAW BALLS!

It's ALL raw

At a meal where succulent grass-fed filet mignon, which barely needs to graze the grill to cook, and makes your mouth water from 9 feet away, takes second place, tonight RAW BALLS comes out the clear winner.  Ladies and Gentlemen....RAW BALLS!!!  (Yes, I just like to say raw balls.)

Helloooooo balls

My brand spankin' new sister-in-law, Lisa--

The nuptials in Aspen.  Best.  Wedding.  Ever.

sent me this recipe, informing me that it was super yummy but in need of a new name.  RAW BALLS just wasn't appetizing, but she's a southern lady.  Well this mutha thinks it's perfect.  "After dinner, I'll be serving Raw Balls."  "Did you enjoy the Raw Balls?"  "Have you tasted Leslie's Raw Balls??!"  Come on, how could you rename these little guys?

Ingredients:
Makes 12 - 16 balls

1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 cup pitted dates
1/2 cup raw cacao (the recipe called for raw carob or cocoa powder, but I used cacao because of all it's nutrients as a superfood)
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup almond butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 cup whole almonds
1-2 cups shredded unsweetened coconut

Place walnuts in a food processor and process until coarsely ground.  Add the dates and pulse until well combined with the nuts.

 

Add the cacao powder, syrup, almond butter, vanilla and salt.  Process until the mixture is thick and smooth.  

Add the almonds and pulse a few times until combined.  There should be some big almond chunks remaining.

Wet your hands with water or a little olive oil, and form the mixture into balls and roll in the coconut.  Place on parchment paper on a tray and store in freezer.

These balls are DIVINE!  All raw ingredients, never cooked, just chopped, mixed, rolled, and frozen.  They're addictive and perfect.   I did have a little problem with my food processor, to be perfectly honest.  When I added the cacao, syrup and almond butter, she just stopped.  Wouldn't budge.  I'm not sure why this was, as it didn't happen to Lisa, and I thought my Cuisinart could move through mortar, but that wasn't the case.  In the future, I would probably stir it manually at that stage, and chop the almonds beforehand.  The almonds ended up whole in my recipe because of this, and it still worked great, but I might futz around with it a little next time, and OOOOOOH there WILL be a next time!

"What's in that?"

"That's what!"

Have a look.  You know you want it.

ADDENDUM:  I made these again because, well, they're AWESOME, and we've had some dinner guests this week.  I used the food processor for the first step of combining the walnuts and dates, but then just mixed everything else by hand.  MUCH easier, especially on the kitchen appliances, which sounded like they were going to burn out.  And I prefer the almonds whole anyway, they add a delicious bit of crunch to these fudgey balls.  Make these already!!

My First Video!

One of my best friends, Jen, was in town staying with us recently, she's addicted to the Burns morning juice ritual, AND she happens to handle a camera like a pro, 'cause she IS a pro.  

Henry likes Jen a little bit

Here's a tutorial for those of you who were curious about blending vs. juicing.  You can see just how the Vitamix works, and experience some of Jen's masterwork behind the camera, all at once in this simple vlog.  You're welcome.

Just an Average Morning at Chez Burns

Green Smoothie...

Every morning, this is what my family puts into their tummies, as well as house guests that happen to be staying with us at any given time, you know who you are, Jen!  I personally think it's absolutely delicious, most guests agree, and some, well, they "choke it down."  One thing you cannot disagree with though is it's 100% healthy, and definitely gets things... how shall I say this...... moooooooving.  Which, whether you like to discuss such matters or not, is imperative to your good health. 

On the face.

ENTER (drum roll, please.....) THE VITAMIX!

Chock Full o' Goodness

This little gem is a HUGE help in keeping my family healthy, and as I've begun to share with my friends and family, I've just become an affiliate for the company, so YOU'RE IN LUCK!  But first, let me tell you what's in this little concoction, then I'll try to sell ya.

I start with three scoops of Premier Greens and Lean-Body Whey protein from a wonderful company called Premier Research Labs, whose products are entirely excipient-free and full of safe nutrients and supplements.  Not necessary for this morning mix, but just what I like to include.

I vary my greens slightly each day, but on this particular morning, here are my ingredients:

• Sliced, Fresh Ginger
• Spinach
• Celery
• Basil
• Cucumber (peeled)
• Lemon (peeled)
• Kale
• Banana (peeled)
• Carrot 
• Frozen Pineapple

All the other ingredients listed are NOT peeled, just washed.  This thing pulverizes the whole enchilada, so you get all the nutrients in the foods you're drinking.

And voilà!

Ain't she a beaut?

It's really amazing what you can do with this machine.  I had been unofficially "selling" them to my friends and family, when finally, after the EIGHTH person bought one I thought, "I should be getting a commission!"  Of course thinking, "That'll never happen," because, well, I'm always slightly surprised when I get paid for anything.  (I'm currently in the process of changing that line of thinking!)  So I applied to the company, sent them my blog, and low and behold, they made me an affiliate.  It's pretty tough criteria, not just ANYone can become an affiliate, the qualifications are quite extensive, but I dream big.

So here's the deal.  See the flashy green and orange ad at the top of my blog?  Click on it and that'll take you right to the Vitamix website with my affiliate code already attached to it.  You can also call the company directly and give them my code, if you'd like to talk to a helpful sales person, they really are peachy over there at Vitamix.  (800) 848-2649, and my affiliate code is:  06-007015.  You get free shipping, which in the US is a $25 value, and in Canada $35, and I get...A NEW CAR!  There are a lot of options to buy, the Vitamix 5200 being the most popular one, but if the $449 price tag is too steep for you, they always offer refurbished models for $379.  That's what I purchased, and a year and half in, I'm, well, A SALESPERSON FOR THE COMPANY!  That's how much I love this appliance.  

It slices, it dices, it.... ok, it's not a Ronco product, but damn, I tell ya, you can make a whole lot with it.  You can quickly make hummus, almond butter, peanut butter, juices, sauces, soups, and it HEATS UP YOUR SOUPS.  That's right, just turn it on for 4-5 minutes, and out comes a piping hot, delicious, fresh soup.  Oh, and anything goes wrong?  You have a 7 year warranty.  AND THAT'S NOT ALL!  You also get this free Snuggie Blanket!  

(no you don't)  

But this part IS true, it's the easiest thing in the world to clean.  A lot of people ask me why they shouldn't just get a juicer.  Have you ever tried cleaning a juicer?  It's a royal pain in the ass, and enough to get you to never juice again.  This thing, you just squirt a tiny bit of dish soap in it with some water, and turn it back on for 30 seconds.  

(Uh, don't forget the top...)  Rinse and repeat.  

I hope you'll consider it, you won't be sorry, and either way, here's to good health!

Okay, I'm done with my big sales pitch, 

but here's one more image for you to marinate on:

"Won't you please help my mommy make a living?"

So Nice They Named It...

TWICE-BAKED BUTTERNUT SQUASH!

I have to be honest, this is not my photograph.  I COULD have taken it, I'm CAPABLE of taking it; with the right lighting, camera, and garnish, (what is that, baby arugula?), this gem could be sportin' my photo credit, but I stole it, (thank you, Martha Stewart).  My pictures of this recipe...well, they turned out like this:

Pretty lame, huh?

Not my proudest photographic achievement, but no matter, it was DELISH!  Just to prove something to my alma mater, School of Visual Arts, here is my turkey from Thanksgiving.  I BBQ'd this beast and it was quite nice.  Okay, they're not exactly Henri Cartier-Bresson photographs, but they're better than the ones of my squash!

And here's my first carving endeavor:

A good day for me and my guests, not so good for Mr. Turkey

But I digress...Twice-Baked Butternut Squash:  Easy to make, sweet, rich flavor, filling, and ooooooh so satisfying.

I started with 2 butternut squash, which ends up filling 2 halves, but the recipe calls for 6 squash, so I'll include that recipe and you can cut it down if need be like I did.

Ingredients:

6 butternut squash

1 1/2 teaspoons salt (more to taste)

About 12 turns of your pepper mill, 1/2 teaspoon, (more to taste)

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sour cream 

2 teaspoons paprika

6 fresh chives, chopped into small pieces

3 tablespoons of fresh breadcrumbs, lightly toasted

Directions for the first step:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees with the rack in the center.

Halve the squash lengthwise and remove seeds.

Sprinkle halves with salt and pepper.

Fill roasting pan with 1/4 inch water.  Place squash in pan.  Cover with aluminum foil, and bake until squash is tender when pierced with a fork.  35 to 45 minutes.  Don't overcook, or the shells will fall apart when you try to stuff 'em.

Remove from oven, transfer squash to a cool surface, and let cool enough to handle.

Reduce oven temperature to 425 degrees.

Second step:

Scoop out baked flesh with a spoon from each half into a large bowl, leaving a 1/4-inch border around to keep their shape.

To the bowl, add sour cream, paprika, chives, salt and pepper.

Mix with a handheld electric mixer or potato masher until smooth and well combined.

Season with salt and pepper.

Fill 6 squash halves (discard remaining 6 empty halves).

Sprinkle tops with toasted breadcrumbs.

Bake until golden brown and warmed throughout, 20 to 30 minutes.

The boy liked it a little bit,

New haircut, Moe-like bangs, no?

and my neighbor liked it a whole lot.  My hubby doesn't care much for butternut squash, so my vegetarian neighbor WINS!
Enjoy your winter vegetables, friends, 'tis the season.  Speaking of which, happy holidays to one and all, spread peace and love, that would be cool.

Freshly Baked...

I started receiving a weekly box of veggies and fruit from a delicious, organic farm in Capay Valley, CA, Farm Fresh To You.  They deliver once a week, or once every two weeks, and so on; you can choose the size of box you want, if you'd like mostly fruit, mostly veggies, a mix, you name it, they have an array of choices.  It's 100% certified organic, you get news about the farm, recipes, a list of produce you've received, and you can also, of course, "friend" them on Facebook, and get lots of recipe ideas.  Oh, and the best idea in terms of customer satisfaction, you get a free box for every friend you refer.  (Insert "Leslie Burns" as your friend here.)  It's genius.  Please support them.

No big deal, just an amazing box of produce on your doorstep

I've been doing it for about a month now, and first of all, I love that I'm able to be a part of a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), something I've wanted to get involved in for a while; it allows my family to not only eat organically, but ensures that I'm buying local, seasonal food, directly from a farmer.  I like to think I own shares in a farm, and those shares are delivered directly to me every week.  I'm a farmer!  Okay, I'm a farmer's assistant!  ALRIGHT!  I'm an urban-dwelling mom who doesn't often visit a farm, doesn't know how to operate a hoe, but does enjoy practicing being one!!!  (does own a pair of overalls....)

The most enjoyable part for me, though, "hoe-ing" aside, is getting produce I would never buy and figuring out what to make with it.  Turns out persimmons are lovely in a quinoa/spinach salad, (thanks to Sophia for showing me when they're ripe, much tastier), spaghetti squash does indeed replace actual pasta quite well, a delectable substitute, and aaaaaaaaaah, the ultimate tasteless vegetable, zucchini.  I had six of them, and I didn't know what to do with 'em.  Sure, I could fry 'em up, nothing tastes bad fried, but that's not the healthiest option, we don't fry in this house, and sure they're okay in the summer, grilled on the bbq, but to be honest, they're not my favorite veggie.  Until.....

Gluten-Free Zucchini Bread from the gluten-free goddess!

NOT the gluten-free goddess

This was so damn good, I made two back-to-back.  The family couldn't keep their hands off of 'em, they only lasted a day or so.  They're great gifts, in fact, now I understand why bakers are always bringing their stuff over, it's so fun to give this shit away.  People really enjoy it.
Now, I've never baked a thing in my life.  Hell, I just started occupying a kitchen, (no wall street pun intended), 7 years ago, but I've been missing out, this stuff rules, it's fun to make, easy, and there's NO CHOPPING!

The Bread:

You can make this with or without eggs, and it's dairy-free.  Also, I substituted organic agave instead of brown sugar.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees (I set mine at 325 degrees because, once again, Sophia saved my ass and informed me that when using agave, you decrease your oven temp by 25 degrees, and increase your baking time by about 10 minutes, because agave can burn.)  Google THAT!
Line the bottom of your 9 or 10" loaf pan with parchment paper and lightly oil it.  (Didn't do this the first time, DID do it the second.  I recommend it, made life a little easier, I didn't have to shake it and bang it...I'm learning people.)

Ingredients:

1 cup peeled, and grated zukes (I used a little more the second time, and it was better)
1 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup tapioca startch
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2/3 cup agave (or 1 cup brown sugar)
1/3 cup light olive oil or coconut oil (I used coconut)
1 teaspoon fresh lemon or lime juice
2 free-range organic egg whites, beaten, or egg replacer (1/4 cup liquid)
1/4 cup coconut milk

Option: (which I happily took, the walnut route)

1/3 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (I even went with a little more than 1/3 cup, but I'm nutty!  These are the jokes, people.)

Press the zucchini in between paper towel to soak up as much moisture as you can, then fluff with a fork.
In a large mixing bowl, mix up the sorghum flour, tapioca starch, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, sea salt, and cinnamon.  Add in the agave (or brown sugar).

Add the oil, lemon juice, egg whites, and the coconut milk.  Beat on medium-high until smooth, about 2 minutes.
Add in almost all of the zucchini, leaving out some shreds to bake on top for decoration.  Stir by hand to combine.  If you're adding nuts, stir them in now.
Scoop, pour, scrape, get it all into that prepared loaf pan and even out the top.
Add shreds of zucchini on top.

Before

Bake in the center of your preheated oven until the top is golden brown and firm, yet gives a bit when lightly touched.  It should feel springy.  Could take anywhere from 50 to 60 minutes, mine took 65 with the agave.  Test with a thin knife, it should emerge with no crumbs or batter on it.

*A good tip about gluten-free baking:  You want your batter to be room temperature, not cold from the fridge.

And there it is.  Toast that stuff up in the morning, throw a little butter or jam on it, and fuhgeddaboudit!  Do that again in the afternoon, repeat before bed, and you'll see very quickly how fast this zucchini bread disappears.  Scrumptious.

I'm a baker now!

L'Shana Tova, Now Pass The Brisket!

It only took a mere 43 years, but we did it, Mom and I FINALLY cooked together in one kitchen, side by side, and it was a success!

Standing very close to one another in the kitchen

It was touch and go there for a few minutes.  When we first connected in the kitchen, (1 day before Rosh Hashanah), we were starting with the creation of our matzo ball, chicken soup stock.  I had stuff to do first, and Mom wanted to get started right away, yesterday, if possible!  I didn't want to miss a trick, so I was very adamant that she not start ANYTHING without me being present.  "This is how I learn," I tried to impart to her, but once her motor starts going, it's not so easy to hit the kill-switch, which is great if you put a vacuum cleaner in her hands...  But she was ready to go-go-go, and I wanted her to stop-stop-stop!  We're not always moving at the same pace, she and I, or else we're moving at EXACTLY the same pace, but with different modus operandi, and we can't get on the same page to save our lives.  Either way, it can turn out to be the Perfect Storm, or, well...Hurricane Irene.  We butted heads, snapped at one another, and pretty quickly I thought this Rosh Hashanah dinner for 8 was going to be a colossal failure, and Mom and I were going to enter the Jewish New Year as enemies.  Oy vey.  I wanted to be able to cook with my mother, learn from her, a dream I've had for a long time, and I was afraid that dream would be dashed,  sniff, sniff....(enter therapy couch with a thud.)

But WAIT!  Something shifted, something gave way, the seas parted and Marsha and Leslie...stop the presses...WORKED AS A TEAM!!!!  We pulled off not only a beautiful holiday dinner, but emerged closer, more respectful of one another, and I think, an even better mother/daughter duo.  I'm very blessed and grateful to have my mother in my life to the extent that she is, and it was a great experience cooking with her, (plus, she cleans like no one's business!)
The table was set....

and WE ATE!

This brisket goes under the category of Best.  Brisket.  Ever.  A recipe from my dear friend, Amy's Aunt Cackles, who sounds like a gem of a lady.

Auntie Cackles with Henry's dashing friend, Isaac

We got a 4 pound, flat piece of brisket (it shrinks!)
1 envelope of onion soup mix (Liptons)
1 1/2 - 2 cups of red wine
1/4 cup water
2 Tablespoons flour
1 1/2 - 2 teaspoons grated orange peel
1/2 cup orange marmalade
4 cloves minced garlic
1/4 pound sliced mushrooms

These ingredients are far from exact, and don't need to be really, whatever flavor you like more or less of, feel free to play with it.  It's idiot-proof.

Preheat over at 300
Put all ingredients in a medium saucepan, seriously, all of them.
Heat on medium for a few minutes, until blended.
Pour over brisket, cover tightly with foil.
Cook at least 3 hours, until tender.  Mom says you can't overcook brisket.  Is that possible?
Cool in the fridge for the next day.
Slice across the grain while cold, then reheat at 350 for about 20-30 minutes.

When it came out of the oven, my mom said, "Oy, it really shrunk, I hope we have enough!"  Which of course instantly stressed me out, sent me into a tail spin, and in the end we had leftovers for days!  What's WITH us Jews???

Ok, not the most appetizing picture, but trust, this beast was delish!

The matzo ball soup also turned out really well.  I won't bore you with the specifics of the recipe, because it turns out chicken soup REALLY is that easy, (also done the night before).  Just throw a bunch of veggies in a pot with water,

boil/simmer for a few hours, maybe more, skim the fat and icky floaty things off the top of the soup, drain the chicken, pull it off the bone, make chicken salad the next day, done!  As far as matzo balls went, we just followed the recipe on the back of the matzo meal can.  clever, huh?  

The kids enjoyed!

Can't go wrong with apples and honey

This is Anika, Henry's profound obsession

The other recipe that KILLED was the Potato Kugel.  Very easy and very satisfying, taken directly from a nice, Jewish boy's cookbook:  Arthur Schwartz's "Jewish Home Cooking."

3 pounds russet (baking) potatoes
12 eggs
2 medium onions, peeled and cut into chunks
2/3 cup matzo meal
1 tablespoon salt
3/4 to 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons peanut, corn, or canola oil

Preheat the over to 350 degrees
Peel the potatoes and cut into chunks to prepare them for the food processor.
Reserve in a bowl of cold water until ready to process, but don't leave them there longer than 2 hours.
In a very large bowl, beat the eggs until well mixed.  In the bowl of the food processor, with the metal blade, pulse the onions until very finely chopped, careful not to liquify them.  Scrape the onion into the bowl with the eggs and stir them in.  Stir in the matzo meal.
Drain the potatoes, then set a strainer over a bowl.  In the same processor bowl, process the potatoes in three batches, until very finely chopped.  The pieces should be no bigger than a grain of rice and mostly smaller.
As each batch of potatoes is processed, immediately scrape it into the strainer.  With the rubber spatula or back of a spoon, press out the moisture so it drains into the catch bowl.  Immediately stir the potatoes into the egg mixture.  Discard the liquid and potato starch in the bowl.  Season the batter with salt and pepper.
Pour 2 tablespoons of the oil into a 13 by 9 inch baking dish, preferably heatproof glass.  Tip the pan so the oil coats the pan bottom and halfway up the sides.  Warm the empty pan in the preheated over for 5 minutes.
With MITS, remove the hot pan from the oven and fill with the kugel mixture.  The oil will rise up the sides of the pan, especially in the corners.  It's a good thing when the oil spills onto the surface of the batter, as it adds crispness to the finished dish.  Press the batter down near the corners lightly to fill them with potato batter.  Drizzle the surface with the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil.  (Mom actually drizzled some of the chicken soup stock on the top of the kugel, she's a genius.)
Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until lightly browned.  Let rest for at least 15 minutes before cutting and serving, preferably somewhat longer.  Serve hot or warm, freshly baked or reheated.
The kugel reheats extremely well in a 350 degree oven, uncovered so the top can re-crisp.  I recommend reheating it beFORE cutting into it, so it doesn't dry out at all.  It can be kept in the refrigerator, tightly covered, for at least 4 days, and several months in the freezer.  Best to defrost in the refrigerator before reheating.

Brother goes in

This was a big a hit.

And without fail, ya gotta have Challah French Toast the next morning, to make brother Steve the happiest 10 year old ever.

He's the easiest man to make happy...

In the end, I'm certainly not the most observant Jew, not even CLOSE, but I'm realizing more and more that for me, what it's really about is family.  Being together and having the ability to do so is a wonderful luxury.  Stevie brought his gal, Lisa, and her amazing daughter, Anika, to stay with us.  I think 3 year old Henry captured them best here:

What a shot!

In fact, ahem, I must admit, after the family left, the following weekend was the highest holiday, Yom Kippur, and I spent it at the mall, clearly not atoning for my sins in the least.  I wasn't alone, I was with another very bad Jew who shall remain nameless, (her name rhymes with Shulie Fretzin.)

And because we were all together, even THIS didn't bother me:

A bit lip while under Uncle Stevie's watch...

Happy 5772!!!  Now go make some brisket!

Appetizer or Dessert? You Tell Me.

I offer you this:

It smells a little like this:

And tastes a LOT like this:

 and this:

And for sure this:

We had a very special dinner tonight.  Lucas Burns is leaving L.A. tomorrow for graduate school in Georgia!  Hey, wait, I never thought of this, but Georgia peach -> peach -> nectarine, it was a THEME app!

Jere made his amazing, summer pasta dish for the family, with quinoa pasta, today's farmer's market tomatoes, red onion, red and green basil, (oh, the smell!), butter, parmesan cheese, and a dollop of cottage cheese on top.  Delish!
So I got these suckers ready for an appetizer, but as I posed earlier, they could easily be a dessert too, if you can bear waiting to shove them in your mouth.  Plus, they should be warm, so I had no choice tonight, timing-wise.  This dish is kind of, how do I describe it?  Uh, hmmm, well.....sexy.  That's the word, SEXY, they send you into another realm of existence, if I do say so myself.  And they are hard to resist, seriously.  They're the perfect dripping, salty/sweet combo, I defy anyone to not moan when you take a bite.

The boys diving in

Here's what you do:

Turn grill onto about 400 - 450 degrees

Halve ripe nectarines, (or peaches, if you like, but personally, I'm a sucker for a ripe nectarine, especially from the farmer's market)

First, put them skin side up, cut side down, you know what I mean, on the grill for 4 minutes

Flip 'em over

Fill them with a little blue cheese, (we used raw blue, easier to digest)

Grill 'em for 4 more minutes, or until the cheese starts to melt

Remove from grill

Drizzle with a little honey over the cheese-side of the nectarine, (again, we use raw honey, aren't we annoying?)

Serve, and try not to eat the entire platter, it's rude.

I think Gillian was happy she arrived when she did.

Good luck, Lukie!  We'll miss you so much. We've enjoyed every minute having you so close, being able to watch Henry grow up has meant the world, hanging with Bode during his "infant" stage, surfing with Daddy, and cleaning every single dish in my kitchen.  You're a good man, Lucas Burns, a top-notch brother, son, step-son, and friend, now go kick some film school ASS!