Peaches, Cast Iron, and Mason Jars

At the moment, I'm obsessed with cooking with peaches, using my cast iron skillet, and serving things in mason jars. I'm literally hooked on all three and it's no surprise that when it came time to cook dinner this week and host a dinner party on Saturday night, that I managed to incorporate all three into the meal!

Peach, Tomato, Basil, and Buratta Salad

Ingredients

• Peaches cut into pieces
• Roma tomatoes cut into pieces
• 1/4 chopped basil
• 1 ball buratta cheese cut into small pieces
• Balsamic glaze

Directions

1. Cut all ingredients into pieces and assemble on a platter.
2. Drizzle balsamic glaze and serve.

Blackened Salmon with Peach Avocado Salsa

This was hands down one of the best salmon recipes I've made. Tyler and I were both blown away with the fresh flavor of the salsa with the rub on the salmon. It was really easy to make for a weeknight dinner and totally off the charts in flavor!

Apple Crisp in a Mason Jar

I used a basic apple crisp recipe and put all of the ingredients into mason jars. I have tons of mason jars and thought it would be a fun way to serve the dessert. To bake the crisp, you take a 9x13 baking pan and fill it without about 1.5 cups of water. Then place the jars in the pan and bake the crisp according to directions (note: you might have to cook it a bit longer due to the glass).

Corn and Cheese Skillet

I was scrambling in the kitchen to make an appetizer before our guests arrived and realized I didn't have the main ingredient for this recipe. So, as usual, I made it up...Tyler makes fun of me because I rarely follow the directions when cooking :) Let me tell you...this was DELICIOUS and quite a hit! Here's my take on the recipe:

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 3 cups of Trader Joe's roasted corn (frozen)
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 light sour cream
• 1/2 package of fat free cream cheese
• 8 oz. crumbled feta cheese (good substitute for cotija cheese)
• 1/4 tsp. salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Heat a cast iron or oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Add 1 Tbsp olive oil, shallot and garlic. Stir constantly to prevent burning.

Add corn, 1/4 tsp each sea salt and pepper and stir. Cook for 5 minutes until shallots appear softened and the corn is slightly darker in color. Then remove from heat.

In a large bowl mix together sour cream, cream cheese, feta cheese and stir until mixed. Add corn mixture to the bowl and stir until well combined.

Use additional Tbsp olive oil to lightly grease the cast iron so the dip doesn’t stick. Spoon dip back into the skillet and bake at 375 for 11-13 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Serve with veggies, tortilla chips, crackers or baguette bread.