Roasted Buckwheat with Sauteed Vegetables (Kasha)

Roasted buckwheat (kasha) is a staple starch in Eastern Europe. I serve it once in a while in place of rice or potatoes. I especially make it for the vegetarians in the house to provide a little variety to their diet. Buckwheat is very healthy, and has a nutty flavor and lentil-like texture.

This preparation in particular is reminiscent of a daal recipe that is served dry as opposed to soupy. If you've never had buckwheat before, it's certainly worth a try!

Hash Browns with Goat Ricotta and Chorizo

Lulu worked from home today, so I brought him breakfast in bed. I love this little ritual we have once in a while. It's my way of showing him how much I love him. I love seeing my hubby's smile when I give him special treats in the morning.

I made some hash browns with goat ricotta cheese and placed a surprise vegetarian chorizo in the center. The chorizo adds a little spiciness to the dish without overpowering the hashbrowns and also some protein. The goat cheese has a tangy taste and velvety texture that complements the other components of the dish quite well.  There's nothing wrong with good ol' fashioned hash browns (we get them from the local pancake house all the time), but if you're in the mood for something a little different, this is a great recipe to try.

Basil and Chive Flavored Homemade Butter

Nope, this is not ice cream. I can't believe it's butter! This recipe is ultra simple; all you need is a food processor and heavy cream. I always make butter whenever I have leftover heavy whipping cream from making desserts (usually from making cake frosting).

The flavored butter can be used as a spread for sandwiches, in pasta or as a garnish for a juicy steak; the possibilities are endless. How you flavor the butter is up to you and what you have in your pantry. I had some sweet basil and garlic chives from my garden. You'll never waste your remaining cream again.

For the more traditional method, check out the tip section.

Lamb Medallion Dijonnaise

We served lamb medallions dijonnaise as an appetizer during our wedding reception 4 years ago in July. I thought recreating the dish would be a nice way to relive the memories, especially since I didn't get to eat much on our wedding day. We had a little family gathering this weekend so I made the medallions of lamb and placed them on sweet onion crostini. I garnished them with Dijon mustard and some chives from the garden.

If you're not a big fan of lamb, you can use spice as I did in this dish to mask the strong flavor of the meat. I crusted the sirloin with black pepper, cumin and sumac powders. I also added some cumin and coriander to the sweet onion relish to give it a slightly Indian vibe.

Tarragon-flavored Grilled Vegetable Party Platter

Tarragon is a wonderful perennial herb. Last year, I was telling Lulu my wish to add tarragon to our herb garden. We were clueless about how to plant it. First, we made a big mistake when we bought Russian tarragon, which is very weak in flavor. The best is the French variety, but of course it is . It has a nice anise, "licorice-y" flavor. Anyway, now we have 4 beautiful French tarragon plants that are very vivacious. We have so much that I came up with a recipe for grilling summer vegetables that uses tarragon in two ways; first on the grill while I'm grilling the vegetables, and second as a tarragon-flavored vinaigrette. The result was, surprisingly, very nice.

I need some more ideas on how to use all the tarragon left I have. I'm open to any suggestions. I'll try to make your recipe and post a picture.