Author: Michele Pesula Kuegler

Hello, August! Today I have a slightly messy, lightly chilled treat for you. In full disclosure, the messiness is part of the making and possibly part of the eating, but they are oh so worth it.

These peanut butter truffles are a delicious combination of creamy and crunchy, as well as sweet and salty. They are also the easiest truffles to make but sound and taste like they are much more complicated.

When making these truffles, there are a few key notes. The cream cheese should be the whole-fat version. You want the truffles to be creamy, and regular cream cheese is just what this recipe needs. Also, I prefer milk chocolate for my truffles, but you could use semi-sweet chocolate for the coating, if you like. For the preparation, forming the peanut butter mixture into spheres can be a little messy. The cream cheese actually helps the peanut butter be less sticky, but you could coat your hands with some nonstick cooking spray to help. Finally, when dipping the peanut butter balls into the chocolate, you want to move quickly to prevent melting. However, be sure to take the time to remove excess chocolate, so you (1) have enough chocolate for the entire batch and (2) don’t have ill-formed truffles.

When eating these truffles, the coating will soften with heat. So, if it is a hot August day, I highly recommend eating them indoors with a napkin nearby. I am pretty sure you are going to find them to be worthy of the sticky fingers!

Peanut butter truffles
Makes 20

1½ ounces cream cheese, softened
⅓ cup creamy peanut butter
½ cup powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons chopped salted peanuts
1 4-ounce milk chocolate baking bar

Combine peanut butter and cream cheese in a medium bowl, beating until fully combined.
Add sugar and stir to combine.
Add peanuts, stirring until well blended.
Shape batter into 1-inch balls; place on a waxed paper-lined plate.
Freeze for 15 minutes.
Place chocolate in a small bowl and microwave in 15-second increments, stirring after each, until fully melted.
Line another plate with waxed paper.
Place one peanut butter ball in melted chocolate.
Using a fork, flip to coat all sides.
Scrape tines against the edge of the bowl to remove excess chocolate, and transfer the truffle to the new plate.
When all truffles are coated, refrigerate for 10 minutes to allow chocolate to harden.
Refrigerate in a covered container until ready to serve.

Featured Photo: Peanut butter truffle. Photo by Michele Pesula Kuegler.

Last week we were baking; this week we are going to enjoy a cool kitchen. Take your protein outside to the grill, top it with this easy salsa, and serve it with a fresh loaf of bread from the bakery!

This salsa is perfect for pairing with almost any protein I have considered. Whether you are grilling fish, chicken, pork, steaks, or even tofu, this is the topping you need. It is slightly sweet, very crunchy, and has a little bit of acidity and bite. What better way to excite your palate?!

There are a few notes on the ingredients. For the bell pepper, you want sweet. If the red peppers don’t look good, go with orange or yellow. I like the color contrast of red, but flavor is more important. For the jalapeno, if you like heat, feel free to leave the seeds and/or ribs. I like a little less spice. For the cilantro, fresh is optimal, but you also can use dried. If you will use dried cilantro, add only one teaspoon.

This simple recipe only requires peeling, dicing, juicing and mixing. It will take maybe 10 minutes. If you want the salsa to be at peak crispness, serve it immediately. If you want the flavors more commingled, give it an hour or two in the refrigerator before serving.

Mango salsa
Serves 4

1 mango
1/2 red pepper
1/2 jalapeno, seeds & ribs removed
Juice of 1 lime
1 Tablespoon honey
2 Tablespoons diced, fresh cilantro
salt & pepper

Peel mango and cut into small cubes.
Dice red pepper.
Finely dice jalapeno.
Combine mango and peppers in a medium bowl.
Add cilantro and season with salt and pepper; stir.
In a small bowl, whisk together lime juice and honey.
Pour lime juice mixture over salsa; toss.
Can be served immediately, or covered and refrigerated.

Featured Photo: Mango salsa. Photo courtesy of Michele Pesula Kuegler.

These scones are the most indulgent ones I make. Filled and topped with bacon and coated with a maple glaze, they are definitely not a healthy food. However, every single bite is amazing. From the crispy, salty bacon to the tender dough to the nicely sweet glaze, these scones are an edible delight.

This scone recipe takes a little longer than a typical recipe because you need to add time for cooking and cooling the bacon. Of course, it’s bacon, so it’s worth the extra effort.

When making these scones, there are a few important ingredient notes. I would not use thick cut bacon in this recipe. You want a thinner cut to make it easier to bite into. Also, these are maple scones, so real maple syrup is required. Don’t use pancake syrup. They won’t be the same. Finally, if you don’t usually buy buttermilk, you can skip it. Add a little less than a tablespoon of white vinegar to the milk, and let it set for 5 minutes: instant buttermilk.

With ingredient notes in hand, it’s time to shop and make these extra special breakfast treats.

Maple bacon scones
Makes 12

2 cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
5 Tablespoons chilled, unsalted butter, diced
10 strips cooked bacon, divided
⅓ cup maple syrup
½ cup buttermilk
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon maple extract
1 cup powdered sugar
¼ cup maple syrup

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
Add butter.
Combine dry ingredients using a pastry blender (or two forks) until butter is reduced to the size of grains of rice.
Dice 5 strips of bacon. (Set aside remaining 5 strips for topping)
Whisk 1/3 cup maple syrup, buttermilk, egg yolk and maple extract in a 2-cup liquid measuring cup or small bowl.
Add liquids to dry ingredients; mix until dough forms a ball.
Place dough on a lightly floured surface and press into a 10-inch square.
Cut into 12 rectangles.
Transfer wedges to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the scones are crusty on top and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
Transfer scones to a baking rack to cool for 5 to 10 minutes.
Combine powdered sugar and 1/4 cup maple syrup in a small bowl.
Spoon maple glaze over scones.
Cut remaining bacon into 1- to 2-inch sections, and place atop glazed scones.

Featured Photo: Maple bacon scones. Photo courtesy of Michele Pesula Kuegler.

When blueberry season arrives, so does the heat of summer. While freshly picked blueberries may make one think about baking, it also makes me think about cold dishes. This simple soup recipe is a way to make those blueberries shine in a refreshingly delicious way.

Paired with a sandwich or just a crusty loaf of bread, this soup will be a wonderful dinner at the end of a hot summer day. However, if you are planning on making this for dinner, you need to start your preparations earlier in the day. Although the active cooking time requires only 15 or so minutes, the soup needs at least two hours of cooling time. All of this advance planning is worth it!

Now, let’s talk about ingredients. As someone who grew up in a small town filled with farm stands, I am inclined to want freshly picked blueberries in this recipe. However, you can use whatever you find in the produce department of the grocery store or even frozen berries. For the wine, you can use any dry white wine that you enjoy — chardonnay, pinot grigio, etc. Just keep in mind that you want a simple white so that it doesn’t add too many other flavors. Finally, the amount of yogurt is a suggestion. If you like your soup to be thinner, start with 1 cup. If you prefer a thicker soup, you can add 2 cups.
Here’s to a cooling dinner at the end of a hot summer day!

Chilled blueberry lemon soup
Serves 4

1 lemon
4 cups fresh blueberries
2 cups water
1 cup dry white wine
⅓ cup granulated sugar
1½ cups plain Greek yogurt

Slice lemon into 8 thin rounds. (You may have extra lemon; save for a different use.)
Combine blueberries, lemon, water, wine and sugar in a medium-sized pot.
Bring the mixture to a boil; stir to make sure that sugar dissolves.
Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, covered.
Remove from heat, uncover, and allow soup to cool for an hour.
Remove and discard lemon slices; transfer soup to a blender.
Purée until smooth.
Transfer to a serving bowl and cover.
Store in the refrigerator for at least an hour before serving.
When you are ready to serve, add yogurt, whisking to combine.

Featured Photo: Chilled Blueberry Lemon Soup. Photo by Michele Pesula Kuegler.

Summer brings about a nostalgia for the simplicity of this time of year. Simple meals that consist of fresh produce, cheese and a baguette. It also brings to mind simple desserts: a bowl of ice cream, a couple s’mores by a campfire and, of course, Rice Krispie treats.

Plain Rice Krispie treats are one of the simplest, yet usually most crowd-pleasing, desserts that exist. What’s not to like about a sweet, chewy, crunchy treat that can be eaten with your hands? While I like the basic recipe, it also can be fun to add a new element or two. As such, I would like to introduce you to this amped up version.

Personally, I enjoy the addition of peanut butter in a dessert, as it adds a bit of saltiness to contrast with the sweetness. It turns out that marshmallows and peanut butter balance each other quite well. The chocolate is a way to add another dimension of flavor, with each chef deciding what flavor that is. Go with milk chocolate chips if you want these treats to be a little sweeter, and opt for semisweet chocolate chips if you are looking for a deeper chocolate flavor.

No matter which chocolate option you choose, you now have a dessert that is perfect for almost any summer gathering. Take a batch to the beach, bring them to your next family cookout, or just enjoy them in the comfort of your own home. They are sure to disappear quickly once you set them out!

Chocolate and peanut butter Rice Krispie treats
Makes 24

1 10-ounce bag marshmallows
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
6 cups Rice Krispies
2 cups chocolate chips

Spray a 13″x9″ pan, sides and bottom, with nonstick cooking spray.
Combine marshmallows and butter in a large pot over medium heat.
Stir frequently until both are melted and combined.
Remove from heat and add peanut butter, mixing well
Add Rice Krispies, stirring until fully incorporated.
Add chocolate chips, mixing until evenly distributed.*
Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan, spreading evenly.
Allow to cool for 15 minutes.

*The chocolate chips will melt, so you will end with more of a marble wave of chocolate.

Featured Photo: Chocolate and peanut butter Rice Krispie treats. Photo by Michele Pesula Kuegler.

Summer is here! With it come hot weather, outdoor gatherings and many barbecues. Whether you are heading to a cookout over the Fourth of July weekend or at some other point this summer, this is a great (and simple) recipe to have on hand.

What makes this recipe one of my summer favorites is that it offers so much in so little time. It’s basically a good-for-you fruit salad with a little indulgence. Delightfully chilled, it’s a bit of relief on a hot afternoon. Plus, it has a wonderful blend of sweet and salty, crunchy and creamy. Never mind that it is about as patriotic a salad as you can imagine.

This recipe’s ingredients are not fancy at all. You want ripe watermelon, so seek one that is a nice, deep red (not pink) and firm. For blueberries, locally picked would be amazing, but that is probably not possible just yet. For the feta, almost any will do. However, if you are buying more than you will need for this recipe, try to find some that is sold in its brine.

If you are thinking this recipe is too simple, I assure you it is not. Put it in fancier bowls, serve it with a beautiful spoon. This recipe is a star on its own.

Watermelon blueberry feta salad
Serves 4

4 cups cubed watermelon
1 cup blueberries
¼ to ½ cup crumbled feta
Divide watermelon among 4 small salad bowls.
Divide blueberries among the bowls.
Toss fruit.
Sprinkle each with feta.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Featured Photo: Watermelon blueberry feta salad. Photo by Michele Pesula Kuegler.