FFwD: Mozarella, Tomato, and Strawberry Salad

Last week's recipe from French Fridays with Dorie was a Mozzarella, Tomato, and Strawberry Salad, sort of a riff on a caprese salad.

I made this earlier in June, when I had my eight pounds of strawberries. I used fresh burrata as well, which has a creamy interior that oozes over everything (in a nice way) when cut open.



We enjoyed this salad and thought the sweetness and fruitiness of the strawberries added a nice touch.



Be sure and stop by French Fridays with Dorie to see the list of July's recipes. (Hopefully, Blogger will be cooperative today.)

TWD: Sour Cream Chocolate Cake Cookies

Although the recipe says these cookies are thin and plain, mine turned out puffy and slightly spicy. I didn't add the raisins, but substituted cinnamon chips instead. Since we like softer cookies, these were a hit. I can see where they would be great vehicles for frosting, filling, or ice cream.


This week's hostess was Spike of Spike Bakes. Stop by her blog for the recipe, and then head over to the Tuesdays with Dorie website to see all the variations.

BBB: Irish Soda Bread

White Soda Bread with Herbs was the selection for June's Bread Baking Babes. The recipe comes from The Ballymaloe Bread Book by Tim Allen and was the thoughtful choice of Ilva from Lucullian delights.

It truly is a quick and easy bread to bake, and develops flavor as it rests and cools. I add chopped parsley to my dough. Although I have rosemary growing in the garden, I was too lazy to go out and pick some. Even dried fruits would be delicious in this bread. It is very versatile. While some bakers had issues with flavor and taste, I did not. It's a mystery.

This is definitely a bread I will make again.

Ilva has the recipe posted on her website and it is also available on the Internet.

TWD: Date Nut Bread

Although I'm tardy with this posting, I wasn't with the actual baking. (My tardiness is due to an imminent deadline on a year-long project, so I'm uber-focused on getting it finished.)

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe was date nut bread. I love dates, so I figured I would love this quick bread, and I was right. I love the buttery flavor and the dense texture. I've been nibbling all week on it and will be sad when it is finally gone.


This week's hostess was Mary of Popsicles and Sandy Feet. You will find this delicious recipe on Mary's blog. While you're munching on a slice, you can check out the other posts at the Tuesdays with Dorie website.

TWD: Chocolate-Mint Biscotti

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe was Chocolate Biscotti. Instead of chopped chocolate, I went renegade and used mint chips. Bright green ones. The yum factor was over the top.

Here are the dough logs right before going into the oven. One appears nuttier than the other for some reason.



The cookie logs after baking for 25 minutes.



Sliced and ready to bake again. I sliced the first log straight across. I sliced the second log on the bias, which made for more elegant-looking biscotti.



However they were sliced, these mint-chocolate biscotti were super delicious. Even better, they weren't rock-hard as most biscotti are. I'm looking forward to dunking in the morning.


Straight-sliced biscotti.



Bias-sliced (pretty) biscotti.


This week's hostess was Jacque of Daisy Lane Cakes. Stop by Jacque's blog for the recipe. And while you're munching away on your homemade biscotti, visit the TWD blog to see all the other variations.

FFwD: Cola and Jam Spareribs

Finally! A reason to keep cola in the house.


I can definitely see more pork spareribs in my future.


For this recipe, I chose country-style spare ribs -- lots of meat, zero bones. First I rubbed them with a mixture of ginger and five-spice powder, then coated them with a mixture of apricot jam, orange juice, and lemon juice.

After letting the ribs marinate for a few hours, they went into the oven to bake in the marinade for about 1 1/2 hours. Then, a cup of coke was poured over the ribs and they continued to bake for another 30 minutes.

The end result was so worth the time and effort -- tender, meaty ribs with a most delicious teriyaki-like sauce.


Another winning recipe from French Fridays with Dorie.

TWD: Blueberry-Brown Sugar Plain Cake

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie recipe was a plain, brown sugar cake with blueberries. Unassuming at best.

But.

Betcha can't eat just one piece . . . .



Blueberries are in season now, so this is a timely dessert, easy to prepare, and very moist and tender. It calls for an 11 x 7 pan, which I have and actually use constantly. It's a bit more shallow than a 9x9 or an 8x8 pan, so my blueberries didn't really sink that much.


A sprinkle of powdered sugar is all that's needed to complete the dessert.


Our hostess this week is Cindy of Everyday Insanity. Stop by her site to get the recipe and read her blog.


Then head over to the TWD website for more cake.