By Lisa of La Mia Cucina

Hello? Spring? Is That You??

I couldn’t help but to write about Spring today.. especially now that it’s still light out at 7:30 p.m. in the Armpit of the Midwest! Longer days always make me happy, because I know winter is on the way out.. THANK THE BABY JEBUS.

It wasn’t easy choosing which recipes to highlight today.. there were MANY out there. That’s the great thing about foodie blogs.. you can find recipes that were posted about years ago - but are still brand spankin new to you!

Around this time of year both Hubbs and I are jonesin’ for salads.. fish.. anything you can grill.. fruit.. you get the idea. But don’t EVER get the wrong idea, because we’d still never pass up homemade pizza and you know, meatloaf. The heavier stuff is what I mean.. what I’m trying to (badly) say is that we aren’t “seasonal” eaters. We eat the same stuff year round, depending on moods and cravings.. but when Spring starts peeking around the corner, he and I both seem to crave Spring like dishes. Lighter.. fresher..

So that’s what I looked for and I hope these items appeal to yous guys as well! Although I truly doubt you’ll have a problem with any of them as they are all majorly drool-worthy!

Starting off this Spring-fest is this delicious looking Butternut Squash and Pomegranate Salad from Dani Spies. I can just imagine the cool, crisp greens. The warm butternut squash (bet roasted sweet potatoes would be the bomb as well). The crunch and sweetness of the nuts and the pomegranate seeds and the creaminess of the salty feta cheese. This is one of those salads that you have to have each component loaded onto your fork before taking a bite.

Here are two decidedly Spring dishes that will knock your socks off including an Asparagus Tart with Potatoes and well.. you have no idea what looking at this second dish does to me.. *swoon* Asparagus Risotto with Poached Egg. Nicky does it again - and as per usual - with 2 amazing recipes using my most favorite veggie in all the world, Asparagus. (look at that egg all splooshey on that creamy risotto, would you?? *slurp*)

Okay moving along.. a new blog to me! Yay! Nate and Annie of House of Annie has served up this GORGEOUS Quinoa Salad with Shrimp and Asparagus. Not only was I blown away by the image, but I really love the idea of the quinoa and shrimp.. two ingredients I wouldn’t think of combining. By the looks of it, it’s an excellent combination!

How’s about a lil dessert mid-way through, eh? Feast your eyes on Aran’s simply stunning Pavlova and Berries with just a dollop of milk chocolate chantilly to make her dessert extra special. Holy cow.. I could eat that for breakfast and not feel guilty at all. hehee!

Another dish I could eat and not feel guilty at all is this little snacker of Spring Bruschetta brought to us by Haalo at Cook (Almost) Anything at Least Once. Those of you who know me, know I’m not a bean fan. Nope. But when I saw this photo and read her simple instruction on how to make it.. I just KNEW I wouldn’t have a care in the world while munching on a few of these. I’m thinking straight from the garden beans on a freshly baked baguette? Oh. Yeah. Baby.

Remember how I said that Hubbs and I crave fish moreso than usual around this time of year? Well when you look at this recipe, you’ll see why.. Karina’s Baked Cod with Roasted Sweet & Sour Vegetables. Cod is a mild white fish so the sweet & sour veggies would be OUTSTANDING with it, in my humble opinion. Well done, Karina!

And to “round out” this “round up” how could I not mention one of my favorite pastry chefs in all the world? She’s the Queen of Cookies (soon to be over taking court over the Land of Candy as well!) and one of the sweetest gals I’ve had the pleasure of “meeting” in blog-land.. Anita of Dessert First and her trio of spring desserts. I couldn’t decide which photo to choose as they all are spectacular.. but in the end the apples had me at hello. *blush* The Apple Almond Tart, the Orange Blossom Buttermilk Sorbet, or the Roasted Strawberry Meringues.. whichever you choose will make your tastebuds and tummy extremely happy!

As always I truly enjoyed my “research” and putting this lil list together for ya’ll! I hope those of us who are entering Spring do so in good health and happiness! And for those of you who are headed into Autumn.. good health and happiness to you as well.. plus.. take photos of the pretty trees and send to me.. Autumn is the bestest season of them all - enjoy it!

xoxo

You can find more delicious springtime recipes using the FoodieView Recipe Search Engine.

You can find out more about Lis on her blog, La Mia Cucina.

This entry was posted on Sunday, March 22nd, 2009 at 9:29 pm and is filed under Recipe Roundup. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.