Jolene's Recipe Journal

Farmers Market Week continues with a super simple but super delicious Balsamic Cucumber Salad. I found Blair L's recipe on Tasteofhome.com and it was perfect to use up some beautiful cucumbers I picked up at the market.      I left some of the peel on, I like the color contrast it gives.  Since I am not a fan of feta I used some fresh mozzarella pearls instead.  For the vinaigrette I used a Honey Balsamic. I also hit it at the end with some fresh cracked black pepper and some fresh herbs like basil would have been nice too.  I hope you are enjoying #FarmersMarketWeek as much as I am!  Be sure to check out all the other great recipes using the links down below!   Balsamic Cucumber Salad Print With Image Without Image Author: Jolene's Recipe Journal Ingredients 1 large cucumber, halved and sliced 2 cups grape tomatoes, halved 1 medium red onion, halved and thinly sliced 1/2 cup balsamic vinaigrette 1/4 cup fresh mozzarella pearls Fresh cracked black pepper (optional) Instructio

Of all the events I participate in, Farmer's Market is definitely one of my favorites.  It's just so easy to be inspired by all of the awesome things you can find there! I came home with a big bag full of goodies including some zucchini.   We're big zucchini bread fans and I've made all sorts of variations like Lemon Blueberry , Cherry Vanilla and Pineapple .  Shari M's recipe caught my eye on the Taste of Home website and I am always down for chocolate! I peeled the zucchini because my husband claims not to like it. The only other change I made to the recipe was to sprinkle the tops of the loaves with semi sweet chocolate chips because why not? The more chocolate the better.   They'd be great mixed into the actual batter as well.  If I hadn't had those on hand I would have just sprinkled the top with some raw sugar.  The recipe makes two loaves and I'd hoped to freeze one but it's disappearing so fast I don't think that's going to happen. T

July has been a crazy month and one of the things that has been keeping me busy is the garden. The blueberries are having a great year and we've been enjoying them a variety of ways, pancakes, waffles, and muffins.  I found Donna B's Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins on the Taste of Home site.  The only change I made was the yogurt, I had blueberry Greek yogurt on hand so that's what I used.    I reserved a tablespoon of flour called for in the recipe and tossed it with the blueberries.  My grandmother taught me this trick to keep them from sinking to the bottom.  It worked quite nicely.   I like to use a cookie scoop for the batter. It helps them bake consistently. I also pressed a few extra berries onto the tops of the muffins and then sprinkled them with raw sugar.  We love that little bit of sparkle and crunch. I definitely will be making another batch of these before berry season is over, they disappeared very quickly! Thanks so much to Stacy for hosting #MuffinMonday and t

Looking for new grilling recipes to try this summer? From appetizers to dessert here are some great ideas to up your grill game! Appetizers and snacks Bacon Cheddar Jalapenos       Grilled Cheese and Tomato Flatbreads Tomatoes are one of my very favorite foods of summer.  I'm always looking for fun new ways to serve them up!   Smoky Grilled Corn Salsa You're just a few minutes away from a delicious spin on a classic snack! Grilled Potato Skins These have been a family favorite for more than a decade but they never last long enough to get new pictures of them!  Grilled Eggplant Parmesan Stacks   These work great with zucchini too! Great for low carbers but everyone will love them.   Side dishes and salads  Grilled Brussels Sprouts   Grilled Apple Tossed Salad Grilled Zucchini Rolls  Grilled Potatoes and Peppers Easy to prepare and even easier clean up!    Spicy Grilled Eggplant     Main dishes  Honey Citrus Chicken Sandwiches       Grilled Zucchini & Pesto Pizza If you haven