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Preheat oven to 400°.  Combine the first 6 ingredients in a medium bowl and mix well to coat the tomatoes.  While we are starting to move into tomato season it can still be difficult to find GOOD tomatoes. I used Campari tomatoes….I never get a bad one.

Dust a clean work surface with flour and place 1 sheet of puff pastry on top.  Roll the dough into a 10×12″ rectangle and using a 2″ round cutter, cut out your tarts.  Place the rounds on a baking sheet lightly sprayed with cooking spray. Prick the tops of the pastry dough liberally with a fork to avoid them puffing up too much.  Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry until all of your rounds have been cut.

Sprinkle the tops of the rounds with cheese and about 2 teaspoons of the tomato mixture. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove the tarts from the oven and sprinkle them with salt and small basil leaves to garnish. Serve them warm.

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So let’s start with the waffles. With a hand mixer combine the egg whites and cream of tartar. Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form and set them to the side.

In a separate bowl whisk together the egg yolks, vanilla, buttermilk, and 2 tablespoons of melted butter. In a third bowl (I know) combine the flour, brown sugar, salt, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon. Add in the egg mixture and stir until it is just combined. Gently fold in the egg whites.

Cook the waffles according to the directions on your waffle iron and then store them on a plate in a warmed oven while you prepare the topping.

For the topping you’ll want to melt the remaining butter in a small saucepan and add in the pecans. Saute the pecans for 2-3 minutes until the butter becomes fragrant and browned. Add in the bananas and saute for an additional 2-3 minutes. You’ll want to gently stir the bananas to avoid mushing them. Add in the syrup and continue to warm. Serve the pecan & banana mixture over the tops of the warmed waffles and serve.

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You can craft this in a pitcher or in 4 glasses, depending on your preference. I’ll be explaining this by crafting it in a pitcher.

Place the strawberries, mint, limes and sugar into the bottom of a pitcher. Allow them to sit for 5 minutes before using a muddler to smash the strawberries and flavors together. If you don’t have a muddler you can use the back of a spoon.

Allow the mixture to sit for an additional 5 minutes for the flavors to settle. Divide the mixture evenly amongst 4 glasses and top with seltzer water or Sprite (depending on how sweet you want it). Garnish with additional limes and strawberries. Delicious!

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Allow the pie crust to sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes before rolling it out onto your cutting surface. Using a 2-3″ round cookie cutter, carefully cut out circles of pie crust, making sure to use as much of the crust as possible.

Lay the circles out on your work surface and on half of the circles spoon a small teaspoon of lemon curd into the center. Place one of the candy sticks into the center of the lemon curd. I ran my wet finger around the edge of the pie crust before placing a second crust circle on top. Make sure that the crust is pinched tightly or the lemon curd will seep out.

Using a fork, pinch the crust around the entire outer edge of the pie pop. Place the pops on a baking sheet and poke 4 small holes into the top of each pop. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 350°.

Remove the pie pops from the oven and allow them to cool completely before dusting with powdered sugar.

Crave Brothers is a dairy farm located here in Waterloo, Wisconsin. Their cheeses are produced in a very green way, using 100% green power. They make a variety of cheese from mozzarella to mascarpone and my favorite is their Petit Frer with Truffles. Anything with truffles instantly becomes my favorite.  But today I’m using their mascarpone with my banana muffins. If you haven’t tried mascarpone you are in for a real treat.  It’s smooth and velvety, sort of like a more buttery version of cream cheese. You’re going to fall in love.

Preheat the oven to 325°. Line 18 muffin cups with paper liners and then set to the side.

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg. In a separate bowl beat the sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla to blend. Stir in the banana and then add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture. Do not overbeat the mixture.

Divide the batter amongst the prepared baking cups. Bake the muffins until the tops are golden brown and a tester inserted in the muffins comes out clean. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Transfer the muffins onto a cooling rack while you prepare the frosting.

In the bowl of your stand mixture beat the cream cheese and butter until they are combined. Beat in the mascarpone cheese and then the honey. Pipe the frosting onto the cooled muffins and sprinkle with walnuts. Try not to eat just one!

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These chicken parmesan meatball subs sure fit the description of quick and easy.  I once again used an al fresco product: Tomato & Basil Meatballs. They are fully cooked and make for a quick dinner. (Seriously, I wasn’t paid to say that.) Anyway, this is a perfect 30 minute meal.

Preheat your broiler to high. While your broiler preheats, warm the olive oil in a large, deep skillet. Add in the garlic and saute for 2-3 minutes. Now add in the tomatoes and red pepper flakes and simmer for 10 minutes. Add in the meatballs and basil and continue to warm over medium heat.

While the meatballs warm, lay out 4 sub rolls on a baking sheet. Divide the mozzarella evenly between the 4 rolls and place in the broiler until the cheese is melted and the rolls begin to brown. Remove from the broiler.

Divide the meatballs evenly amongst the 4 sub rolls (4 meatballs per sub) along with some sauce and sprinkle with additional cheese and oregano. And there you have it. 30 minutes and done. Dinner is served!

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Combine the water, peaches and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 3 minutes.

Pour the mixture into your blender and allow it to sit uncovered for 20 minutes to cool slightly. Add in the raspberries  Secure the lid onto your blender and puree until smooth. Place the mixture into the refrigerator for 3 hours.

Pour the mixture through cheesecloth into a large picture. Stir in the lemon juice. Divide the mixture amongst 12 glasses filled with ice and top off the glass with a splash of seltzer water. Garnish the spritzer with peach wedges, raspberries and mint leaves and enjoy on a sunny day!

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Cook the rice according to the package instructions. In a medium skillet melt the butter and then add in the onion and garlic. Saute until the onions are translucent and then add in the can of tomatoes.

Simmer over medium heat and then add in the queso, salt and rice. Stir until well combined and warmed, sprinkle with cilantro and serve with your tamales. If you want to turn up the heat on your tamales serve them up with the Jalapeno Pepper Sauce. Yum!

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My #1 favorite spot is Mister Softee. This delicious treat travels around the city and can be found in multiple locations since it is an ice cream truck. Their soft serve ice cream is unlike anything that I’ve ever had. It’s a bit thicker than typical soft serve and is not drippy. I can’t even describe it. But my favorite is a twist cone with rainbow sprinkles. Here are a few photos of my excitement over spotting the truck and ordering.

Favorite treat #2: Dylan’s Candy Bar. Owned by Dylan Lauren, daughter of Ralph Lauren, this place is like a candy store on crack. There’s nothing more exciting than walking the 3 floors of sweet treats, dipping candy into the chocolate fountain and then mixing up a bag of your favorite sweets.

Next up is Bouchon Bakery. This can be found in Rockefeller Center and is a great spot to stop for macaroons. I had a delicious funfetti macaroon on this trip and it tasted just like the cake. They also offer a variety of other bakery treats and sandwiches if you’re not into macaroons.

Finally, I’ve talked about my love of Eataly before and aside from the aisles of pasta, this shop offers a wide variety of freshly made pastries as well.  While you’re there be sure to pick up a coffee and some gelato.

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