Have you ever had a frozen hot chocolate? It's one of my favorite summer treats. They're icy and cold - like a cross between a milk shake and a slushy. Frozen hot chocolate might seem like an oxymoron, but these really do taste like hot chocolate and not at all like a regular chocolate shake.

You can make them with your favorite hot chocolate mix, but I like to make mine with milk and cocoa powder. If you decide to use a mix instead, keep in mind that it will get diluted by the ice. Adding in some melted chocolate chips helps it retain an intense chocolatey taste.

I love chocolate and hazelnut together and I decided that frozen hazelnut hot chocolate sounded great. Instead of adding in melted chocolate, I added Nocciolata organic hazelnut spread. Nocciolata is one of the products presented at the recent Fancy Foods Show, and they sent me a jar to review/play around with. The spread is very similar to Nutella, but it's organic. It's also thinner. At first I didn't know how I felt about that - I like the thick, frosting-like consistency of Nutella. But then I realized it means that the Nocciolata is really easy to spread....meaning you can cover more surface area with less spread and save yourself some calories. It also meant that it blended very easily into this frozen hot chocolate and didn't all end up in one blob.

I like that the ingredients are simple: sugar, hazelnut paste, sunflower oil, skim milk powder, cocoa powder, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, and vanilla flavoring. That's all. I think that the hazelnut flavor is also more pronounced in the Nocciolata than it is in Nutella, and the spread isn't quite as sweet. It's definitely not something you want to be eating every day, but it does make a very nice treat.

Click to get the recipe for Frozen Hazlenut Hot Chocolate -->

It's no secret that I love fennel, but I've been absolutely obsessed with the thought of making caramelized fennel ever since I first read about it over on The Tipsy Baker's blog months ago. I requested a copy of Ad Hoc at Home from the library and patiently waited for what seemed like forever to get the recipe. And then I had no idea what to make with it. I mean, I'm not exactly a meat and potatoes kind of girl. I don't do side dishes. And as presented in the book, caramelized fennel was most definitely a side dish. But then I had an idea: pasta. When I'm short on recipe inspiration I always turn to pasta, throwing in a combination of whatever looks good at the grocery store and whatever I have in the fridge. Caramelized fennel seemed like it would be a great jumping-off point for a summery vegetable pasta. And it was.

In addition to the fennel, I used a combination of eggplant, summer squash, red onions, and peas. I tasted the vegetables on their own and they were so delicate and fresh that it seemed like a shame to cove them up with a heavy sauce so I decided not to, and instead dressed the pasta with a little bit of ricotta and a touch of pesto (I had originally planned to use garlic and olive oil). It was perfect! I really liked the creaminess that the ricotta added — when you stir it into the hot pasta it melts and creates a light coating that reminds me a little of mac and cheese. The pesto perked the dish up without taking it over; you could tell it was there, but it certainly isn't a "pesto" dish by any means. Really it's just... good. Good when you first make it. Good the next day. Good hot. Good cold. I don't think I'll ever get tired of this one!

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Click to get the recipe for Orichette with Caramelized Fennel and Summer Vegetables -->

Until last week, I never saw the appeal of lobster rolls. I know that they're incredibly popular and even pop up at some fast food restaurants during the summer months, but the thought of loading up perfectly good lobster with globs of mayo and celery just seemed wrong to me. But then last weekend at the Food Truck Drive-In, something caught my eye. Along with "regular" lobster rolls, one vendor was selling what they called a Connecticut-Style Lobster Roll that was simply lobster and melted butter. I had never heard of such a thing before! I was already full from the other trucks so I didn't get to sample their version, but the idea has been with me all week.

I wasn't sure if the dish was a real thing or something they made up, so I did what any self respecting food blogger would do: I googled it. Apparently it is real, and boy have I been missing out! From what I gather, the mayo-laden lobster roll that I'm familiar with is actually a Maine-style roll or a lobster salad roll. It makes me wish that I had inspected the many booths hawking lobster rolls at the Taste of Hartford a little closer.

There seems to be a bit of a feud about which type of roll is better, and many people seem to complain that the butter of the Connecticut style roll turns the bun into a soggy mess before you can finish eating the sandwich. I figured that problem should be easy enough to solve by toasting the bun and using less butter on the lobster itself — which also has the added benefit of producing a lighter sandwich with less grease. I definitely didn't have any issues with sogginess — instead I had a delicious sandwich bursting with the sweet flavor of lobster. There was just enough butter to highlight to lobster's richness, and the toasty edges on the bun added a little texture to a sandwich that would have otherwise been too soft and squishy for my liking.

Served with corn on the cob (sprinkled with Old Bay seasoning) and baked salt and vinegar chips (I love the Kettle brand)—, this was the perfect summer meal.

I didn't feel like dealing with actual lobsters, so I bought a container of frozen meat. Having done that, I wouldn't have it any other way. $12 got me more than enough beautiful chunks of lobster — mostly whole claws — for two generous sandwiches. It also meant that the whole dinner could be made in under 10 minutes.

It's hot. I mean, I love summer and all - sunny and 80 is perfect if you ask me - but days and days of weather that's approaching te triple digits? It's disgusting. And I've had enough. The thought of standing in my non-aire-conditioned kitchen making a dinner that's it's basically too hot to eat anyway makes me want to cry. There's absolutely no way I'll be turning the oven on any time soon. And yet for some strange reason I've been craving roast chicken. Apparently the heat has made me lose my sanity.

Luckily, I have discovered a technique for making perfectly roast chicken on the grill. Crispy, crackly skin. Some of the juiciest breast meat that I've ever eaten. No need to turn on the oven. Does it get any better than that? Give it a try and you'll immediately see why this has been my go-to recipe this summer.

Click to continue reading How to Roast a Chicken on the Grill -->

I'm often asked how I eat the way that I do without spending a fortune at the grocery store. One of these days, I'll get around to doing a full post about that but my number one tip is to plan ahead. That way you can plan to reuse ingredients (no use letting half that bag of vegetables go to waste) without feeling like you're eating the same thing over and over again. This orzo salad is a great example — it uses many of the same ingredients as the Greek Burgers with Tzatziki that I posted last week, but it's an entirely different meal. Just plan to have this two or three days after you make the burgers, and you'll be able to use up any feta, red onion, cucumber, and fresh dill that you might have left over. (Of course, it works the other way around too if you want to make this salad first!)

But, burgers aside, I really do recommend this salad. It's so easy to make — you can even make it ahead and have dinner waiting for you when you get home from a long day at work — and it's loaded with fresh flavor. I don't know what it is about this type of dish, but there's something about them that I love — even though everything is mixed together, each individual ingredient maintains its integrity. You can eat it all together, or pluck out specific items and eat them one by one for entirely different flavor experiences. Some other examples of recipes that I find to be similar include my Pasta with Brussels Sprouts and Gorgonzola Cream Sauce and my Roasted Shrimp with Orange and Fennel. In my head, I always think of them as "picky recipes," both because you pick at them with your fork while you eat and because you'll likely find yourself picking extra items right out of the serving dish when you're dine with what on your plate. In fact, Shawn and I probably polished off another half serving of this salad between the two of us just by continuing to eat after we had finished what was originally dished out.

It's summer! Finally. What better way to celebrate than with a fat, juicy burger?

I'm usually a burger traditionalist — give me some bacon, cheddar, and barbecue, and I'm a happy girl. Then there was last summer's favorite, stuffed with stilton and topped with onion jam. But this Greek Burger, laden with feta and spices and slathered with cool, tangy tzatziki sauce? I'm pretty sure this will be making frequent appearances on our table from now on. Especially since it pairs so naturally with a greek salad instead of unhealthy pastas salads or fries. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect meal to get my summer started.

The idea for this burger had been in the back of my mind for a few days, but when I found this beautiful fresh, local garlic at the farmer's market (along with a crate of cucumbers that were marked down to a dollar because they were "ugly") I knew it was time to act. We debated turkey vs. lamb vs. beef for a while before settling on lean beef — it was far leaner than the lamb, and I always get nervous cooking ground turkey (which had very similar nutritional stats to the beef anyway). By the time you finish mixing the meat together with the feta cheese and gyro seasonings, I don't think the choice of protein really makes a ton of difference flavor-wise.

Burger Shaping Tip: Tired of your burgers shrinking in diameter as they cook? As you form your burger, press your thumb into the center to create a shallow crater about 1/3 the diameter of the patty. As your burger heats and the center puffs up, it will rise to fill in the crater instead of pulling the edges in. As a result, the burger will have a smooth top and a diameter that is almost identical to the raw patty that you formed.

Before you run away in fear from a post about bread, let me reassure you: this recipe couldn't be simpler.

It doesn't involve yeast.
You don't need to knead it.
If you have a grill, you don't even need to turn on your oven.

After I posted about BBQ Baked Lentils, a few people noted that they had never used lentils except for in salads and soups. To be honest those — and Indian dishes — are where my mind immediately goes when I think about lentils too. But you probably won't see much in that respect as I continue explore the world of lentils over the next two weeks. First, because two weeks worth of soup, salad, and Indian food would be boring — both to read and to eat. Second, because I wanted to look at this as an opportunity to challenge myself. To think outside the box and come up with some really fun and creative recipes. Rest assured, if the recipes aren t delicious you won't see them here.

Since lentils are so often used in Indian and Middle Eastern cuisine, I decided to mix things up and try using them in a southwest style dish. I also wanted to play with texture a little, so these southwest lentil cakes were born! I really loved the way these turned out — they actually reminded me a little of falafel. I was nervous that they might be dense and dry, but I shouldn't have worried. The slightly crispy outside gave way to a light and fluffy center that was full of moisture. The creamy lime dressing played up the Southwest flavor of these patties ad balanced out some of the heat from the jalapenos that I added to them.

The patties and dressing were great on their own - I also think they would make a fantastic wrap-style sandwich — but to make them into a healthy dinner I built a salad around them. Some chopped romaine hearts tossed with fresh corn, diced tomatoes, creamy avocado, and a little extra cilantro topped with the lentil cakes and dressing made a wonderfully light yet filling dinner.

Click to continue reading Southwest Lentil Patties with Creamy Lime Dressing -->

What is it about holidays like Memorial Day and the Fourth of July that necessitate barbecues? Sure Memorial Day is the unofficial start of summer, but our grill has already been going strong for weeks. Still, I felt the need to prepare some sort of traditional backyard fare. Shawn suggested burgers, but that seemed like a waste of a good day off. We can have burgers whenever. I wanted something a little more creative. Something that actually required some thought. I settled on salmon grilled on a cedar plank and BBQ baked lentils.

Yes, that's right: lentils. I don't really care for baked beans. They're too starchy or too soft something. My mom makes what everyone considers pretty awesome baked beans - they're requested at every family get-together - but I never ate them. When I was little, there was one kind of baked bean that I would eat. They came from a can. They were BBQ. And they contained a melange of various beans rather than simply relying on navy beans. I still remember the day when we stopped being able to find them in the grocery store. It was heartbreaking. This past Easter, we sat down to dinner and I saw that my mom had made her beans. They looked amazing. Plump, succulent beans swimming in a lightly spiced sauce, all capped off by a perfectly crisp layer of meaty bacon. It was the bacon that did me in. Those beans have been in the back on my mind ever since.

There's a first time for everything: eating rhubarb, making steamed buns, eating cool, creamy potato salad.

Yeah, you read that right. I only recently had my first bite of creamy potato salad. My aversion to mayonnaise (sorry, I know some of you think it's good, but I find it repulsive!) had always prevented me from enjoying this delicious salad. Until now.

I was flipping through a recent issue of Food+Wine when I saw it. It looked like a normal potato salad. But it used hummus. And yogurt. And, most notably, no mayo. It immediately got added to me "to try" list.

So one night we decided to grill up some burgers, and I knew that it was the perfect time to try this salad (and try out my new eco-friednly plates!). I mixed it up. Easy enough. But I have to confess, it looked so much like the potato salads that I've been avoiding all these years that I was a little hesitant to take a bite. Which was ridiculous, since I made the stuff and I knew that there was absolutely no mayonnaise in it.

So I took a small nibble. And it. was. awesome. I mean, we were lucky that there was any left by the time the burgers were done - I couldn't keep out of it! For those of you who hate mayo, this is a great substitute. Those of you that do eat mayo will enjoy it too - Shawn said that it actually tastes very similar. It's cool, creamy, slightly tangy. The hummus flavor isn't nearly as pronounced as you might imagine it would be, And it has a whole lot less fat (about 5 grams of fat in mine, compared to over 20 grams in traditional versions!)

Click to continue reading <a href="http://healthy-delicious.com/2010/05/creamy-potato-salad-hold-the-mayo/">Creamy Potato Salad, Hold the Mayo --></a>