Plum + Apricot Summer Tiramisu

Posted by: Nicole Dula on Aug 30 2015

My retired neighbor that lives behind us has started throwing buckets of bird seed on the ground and in the middle of her backyard. I’ve never seen this approach to feeding birds before. I get a view into her retired days through my kitchen window because I’m often in the kitchen. Now a few mornings a week, there are more black birds than I can count ascending on our neighborhood, swooping in and out in coordinated hoards. It’s like a Hitchcock film or Game of Thrones, depending on how far back you like to take your references. My sister-in-law is frightened… Continue reading ≻

Sour Cherry + Yellow Plum Galette

Posted by: Nicole Dula on Aug 25 2015

I make at least one galette every summer with the prettiest summer fruit I can find. This time I found sour cherries and little yellow plums. I use my favorite pâte brisée and I always make a double batch. An extra pie crust in the freezer is a beautiful thing. In an effort to not overwork the dough, I left some cracks in the dough and I had a major leak of all the wonderful juices. The galette still tasted delicious, but it’s tastier when the juices bubble up and get thick among the fruit. And cleaning up burnt fruit… Continue reading ≻

Basil Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Posted by: Nicole Dula on Aug 18 2015

Basil and summer go together like pb&j. I’ve been putting basil in dressings + pesto + salad, but my food brain wanted more. When we were in Nashville we had a mini strawberry pie with anise ice cream at 5th and Taylor. I am typically not drawn to anise-flavored things, but that barely sweet strawberry pie with rich anise ice cream was a delight. And when I saw a recipe for basil chip ice cream in Bon Appétit, I felt like the anise-like flavors in the basil would be a similar treat. It’s creamy and sweet with the herbaceous basil and bitter dark chocolate… Continue reading ≻

Summer Halloumi + Melon Salad

Posted by: Nicole Dula on Aug 11 2015

Ah, summer. The time of year when a salad like this is dinner and everyone is happy ’bout it. This salad is inspired by one I had at Selden Standard recently with seared halloumi, cantaloupe, fresh snap peas and radish. Fresh snap peas were hard to find last weekend and I wasn’t about to mince radishes, so I picked up what was fresh and pretty at the farmers market. Namely baby heirloom tomatoes, green beans and basil. The whole salad is drizzled with a sharp citronette to make the cantaloupe savory/sweet and the golden cheese is even better with a hit… Continue reading ≻

Smoked Blue Cheese Dressing

Posted by: Nicole Dula on Aug 4 2015

All of the stars aligned to make this recipe happen. I had plenty of green lettuce in the house and one of the heads from my CSA was a better version of iceberg, which always makes me think of bacon and blue cheese dressing. I went to Whole Foods and spent some quality time in the cheese department and saw that Roth Kase’s Moody Blue, a smoked blue cheese dressing, was on sale. I could smell the smoke through the plastic wrap. It intrigued me and then the cheese sign said, “For salads that wish they had bacon.” Then it… Continue reading ≻

Diner-Style Blueberry Pancakes

Posted by: Nicole Dula on Jul 28 2015

This summer is flying by, right? The weekends have been fun, but busy. Sometimes while we run errands, we’ll have a quick breakfast at one of the local diners. Some are better than others and I judge a good one by the quality of their pancakes. One place in particular, Ken’s Cozy Cafe, could be in an episode of Golden Girls with their Floridian pink and aqua booths, but boy do they make a good pancake. A pancake that dares to hang over the edge of the plate it’s served on. I posted a pic of Ken’s pancakes on Instagram one morning and there… Continue reading ≻

CSA 2015: Week 5 + Creamy Vegan Lemon Basil Dressing

Posted by: Nicole Dula on Jul 24 2015

Whoa, so I posted a steak salad on Instagram Tuesday night and people were ALL ABOUT that creamy lemon basil dressing. Today’s the day I’m sharing! Again, we have lots of lettuce from our CSA and that means lots of salads. I have my favorite dressings, but I’m always ready to try another. I still had basil from last week’s CSA and I was strangely not in the mood for pesto. I was thinking about this Raspberry Basil Vinaigrette that we love, but instead made this creamy vegan lemon basil dressing. It’s blends up really creamy and it tastes like summer. The recipe is… Continue reading ≻

Pork Scaloppine with Fennel Salsa Verde

Posted by: Nicole Dula on Jul 21 2015

I LOVE crossing things off my to-do list and this weekend, we really packed in some overdue chores. Bo-ring, I know, but it felt so good! Marc washed both of our cars, we weeded, trimmed the hedges and washed the windows. I used barely soapy hot water and a squeegee for the windows like This Old House taught me to do. It’s my favorite housekeeping tip ever. In anticipation of the 90 degree day, we finished by noon and rewarded ourselves with a vanilla malt and later this pork scaloppine for a late lunch. I made this dish twice last week and… Continue reading ≻

Vegan Chocolate-Dipped Avocado Popsicles

Posted by: Nicole Dula on Jul 13 2015

It’s popsicle week! That magical time of year when food bloggers show their undying love for this frozen treat. I can’t wait to see what everyone is making, so head over to Popsicle Prince Billy’s blog and check in all week for what’s new. And check out the official Pinterest board of popsicle week hosted by Munchie’s. I knew immediately what I wanted to make this year. I had to recreate my Las Paletas avocado popsicle with chocolate dip I had in Nashville. And because I couldn’t stop at the chocolate dip, I also sprinkled them with roasted pistachios and Maldon sea… Continue reading ≻

CSA 2015: Week 3 + Ratatouille

Posted by: Nicole Dula on Jul 10 2015

Before I forget, I want to tell you that I’ve made a CSA Pinterest board! I’ll be pinning recipes that match up with the kinds of fruit and vegetables I get in my share. Last weekend, I took the romaine, green onions and radishes to west Michigan and we made a huge salad with my mom’s vinaigrette dressing. It was lovely. I’ve been using the beets and beet greens in smoothies this week and I put the garlic scapes in my first ratatouille. Even though it isn’t a traditional ratatouille ingredient, I thought the scapes mixed well with the eggplant, onion,… Continue reading ≻

Dula Notes

Seasonal recipes and adventures from Michigan with love

Posts tagged: Summer