Now if this is not mouth watering, I really don’t know what is.
Have I mentioned how much I love figs? They are just so magnificent – They look like strange little pods from the outside, but when you open them up they are so lucious and delicate and gorgeous! They take my breath away! I love figs so much that to look at them in person makes my heart leap, my mouth water and my eyes to fill with tears…well at least that is what they did when I saw Sylvia’s Rocket Salad with Grilled Figs and Goat Cheese
a few weeks back. That was when I was beginning to despair about ever finding fresh figs again! Since we moved to Florida, it has been like acclimating to everything – the weather, the culture, the driving, and the availability of well-loved ingredients! I took for granted in the past the easy availability of certain favorite ingredients living in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast where there was always a plethora of ethnic markets, including Mediterranean. But having moved to Florida, I have had trouble finding things like, hazelnuts, pomegranate syrup and FRESH FIGS! So I began to loose hope of having fresh figs again and when fig season began and I saw recipes like the one on Sylvia’s blog I began to feel a little crushed and a deep longing for figs, glorious figs. My luck was about to change.
One day at the grocery store recently while I was perusing the tropical fruit aisle (one of the great things about moving to Florida – there is a tropical fruit aisle!) something I often do so I can try new and exotic fruits, I saw a little place card for fresh Turkish Figs and my broken heart began to mend! My beloved figs were there! Yes, they were $8 for about 10 of them, which I knew was ridiculous but at this point I was ready to throw caution to the wind, they were there and I wanted them! Once I brought them home I knew I needed to eat them fast – as they rot quickly! So I had two recipes in mind – Sylvia’s salad and Fresh Fig and Sage Grilled Pizza. Here is Sylvia’s Recipe as she posted it!
It is heavenly!

Stay tuned for the Pizza recipe!
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Sometimes you have leftover alcohol and you feel the urge to create a nice unique cocktail. Such was the case this week. Summer is here in full blast and I was feeling a little fruity! I am not usually that much into frozen drinks – brain freeze and all that, but on this day, I wanted something frozen, fruity and different. We had some leftover coconut rum from Easter and I decided to take a tour through the fridge and pantry to come up with a new drink! Another Leftover Queen classic move , but this time with a frozen cocktail drink – perfect for those steamy summer nights! This beautiful sunset colored drink is what was made. This is a great drink to surprise your guests at your next summer party or BBQ.
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This is the leftovers from the last Daring Baker’s Challenge – Bagels! I love bread pudding and I made several sweet versions of the bagel in addition to the ones I showcased for the challenge and stuck them in the freezer, so I figured what better way to use them up than by making some bread pudding! Happy Friday everyone and enjoy your weekend!
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Well I just couldn’t stay away for too long! When something monumentous happens in your life, you do a lot more cooking and eating during your celebrations! So I give you this wonderful little treat to check out while I am making my rounds to all of your beautiful blogs! Thank you so much to everyone for your support and well-wishes! We could not be happier over here!
A while back I saw a delicious recipe for Pistachio Stuffed Nectarines that Susan at The Well-Seasoned Cook
did. Roberto loves both nectarines and pistachios, so I knew I had to make this recipe, but it got a Leftover Queen Makeover! I didn’t have any cake hanging around so I substituted Ricotta cheese for it. I also had cottage cheese,which I am sure would work fine, but the ricotta cheese was older so I opted for that. I don’t really like orange extract so I chose vanilla instead. So good, I was all set.

I started the process of halving the nectarines and wouldn’t you know it the pits just wouldn’t budge. So I ended up destroying 2 out of 3 nectarines in the process. Okay, time for Plan B (or are we on Plan C or D at this point??). I had several fresh apricots in the fridge which were nice and ripe. So I grabbed them and the pits came out with no effort. So this is how Susan’s recipe got adapted! Kinda like a game of telephone¦.So here is my creation !
Pistachio and Ricotta Stuffed Apricots!
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I know, it is so unlike me to have disappeared for these past few days, but we have been celebrating!

I will be back soon with more great food! I promise!

The WINNER of the first Royal Foodie Joust is
Jennifer Of …and the eggs with the entry of

Scrumptious Camembert with Dried Fruit and Almonds.

Followed in second place by Marye of
Apron Stings and Simmering Things with

Chevre, Date, and Walnut Empanadas with Mango Rum Coulis ,

Followed in third place by
Elly of Elly says Opa! with

Bruschetta “Pesto” Trio .

CONGRATULATIONS!

We had so many fabulous entries; it was so hard to choose a favorite! I thank everyone for their participation and I am really pleased with the number of entries we had and the delicious, inventive dishes everyone came up with!
I am looking forward to hearing what 3 ingredients Jennifer chooses for the next joust! The next joust begins once I announce the 3 ingredients and entries can be submitted on the August 1st thread until August 1st 10 PM US EST. The voting will take place for 5 days and the winner will be announced on August 6th! So enter to win today!

Tagine is a typical Moroccan dish that is cooked in a type of heavy clay pot which is also called Tagine.

However, you do not need to purchase a new kitchen cookware item as you can also cook it in a baking dish by sautéing many of the ingredients before hand to create that tender falling off the bone meat experience.

Lamb is a very common ingredient in Tagine, as is the cinnamon found in this dish. The result is something that is a cross between a stew and a custard or frittata. It is delicious, hearty and fragrant. Try it today, it is easy to make, but impressive to taste!
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