Friday, March 20, 2009

1st Day of Spring Round-Up!

If I had my life to live over, I would start barefoot earlier in the spring and stay that way later in the fall. ~Nadine Stair

Happy first day of Spring! Here's to barefootin' in the garden and in the kitchen, no matter what tricks the weather plays on us!

Rain or shine, wind or calm, we can always count on the fabulous participants of Tyler Florence Fridays to cook up some delicious dishes. This week we welcome a new member, Amanda of Oddball Oven Mitt. Thanks for joining us, Amanda.


Amanda kicked off her TFF with her take on Tyler's Ultimate Pizza Margherita. This was a hit with the kids and Amanda was happy to have a new dough recipe to play with.

Andrea of Nummy Kitchen made these delicious looking Blueberry Scones with Lemon Glaze. Andrea turned the oven down a touch to get that perfect, crisp on the outside and tender on the inside texture that we all love so much.

Deb of Kahakai Kitchen made Salmon in a Couscous Crust this week, celebrating healthy living with her omega-3s and whole wheat! She loved the combination of flavours and textures in this dish, and looks forward to playing with the recipe some more. She does have lots of couscous left over.. guess what's for lunch?

Donna of My Tasty Treasures made Chicken Marsala (ala His Hotness). This one was so well received that her fire-fighting hubby gave it ten stars. High praise indeed! Donna is also celebrating her first give-away, so go on over and enter.

Heather of Girlichef made Tyler's Pulled Pork Barbecue and, while she loved the pulled pork part, was not thrilled with the sauce. If you happen to love a vinegar sauce, this is for you - otherwise, substitute your favourite bbq sauce for this recipe. This one feeds a crowd, so was great for March Madness.

Jenny of All Things Edible submitted her take on Tyler's Ultimate Fish Tacos. She made a peppery fruit salsa to go with it and used a combination of tilapia and sole for her fish. Us Canadians have to be creative with our ingredients! The fish tacos will also be included in the challenge round-up in the beginning of April.

Natalia of Gatti Fili e Farina made Tyler's Fish and Chips with Homemade Tartar Sauce with great success. She loved the batter and looks forward to frying vegetables with it too. I loved this one too, now I am hungry for it all over again.
Love the presentation in the paper!

Over at Living in the Kitchen with Puppies, I made Tyler's Vietnamese Shrimp Rolls with Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce. I loved the fresh flavours, and the fact that this recipe had beets in it! A twist on the norm, to be sure, but very tasty indeed.

Pam from Sidewalk Shoes made this beautiful Tyler's Ultimate Green Salad. Pam was feeling kind of "nutty" this week (hee, hee) and loved the textures and flavours in this mix of fruit, nuts, veggies and herbs. What a way to celebrate the end of winter!

Reeni of Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice made this gorgeous luncheon of a Pretty'n'Pink Strawberry Salad and Mozzarella Pesto Grilled Cheese. "This one had the perfect amount of butter-fried crunchiness and melted, molten mozzarella oozing out the cracks speckled with the pumpkin-arugula pesto I made last week." Were there ever more delicious words?
This looks straight out of a magazine, I need to figure out how to wrangle myself a lunch invitation...

Susy of Everyday Gourmet made this delicious Chicken Pot Pie to help her family get better from their end-of-winter colds. It did the trick and was tasty, warm and comforting as well. Perfect kitchen therapy!

Kim of Stirring the Pot made this cute little Buttermilk Pie with Whipped Honey Creme Fraiche. She did find that she had to cook it a little longer than the recipe stated, but was very pleased with the results.

Kim also made Tyler's Pulled Pork with Homemade Barbecue Sauce, served on a Parker House Roll with a side of California Peach, Shaved Fennel, Mozzarella and Crispy Prosciutto Salad. Whew! That is one ultimate Tyler feast! She was thrilled with how both dishes turned out. Tyler has yet to disappoint Kim!

Leanne of Enjoying My Favorite Things made this awesome Peach Bourbon Cobbler from her new book, Dinner at My Place. Leanne had family drop in just at dessert time (how did they know?) and the cobbler managed to disappear in record time... that's the thing about grandparents, you have to watch them every minute!

Megan of My Baking Adventures made Tyler's Spring Rolls for Spring Cleaning. A perfect way to keep your energy up for the annual overhaul of the closets, and great for after schools snacks as well.

Michelle of Big Black Dog also tried her hand at Tyler's Ultimate Fish Tacos this week, and was happy to have the opportunity to try a new kind of seafood. Skate was on sale and ended up being the perfect fit for these popular tacos. Michelle loved this dish, and even used the leftover mayo for a cole slaw - good thinking!
This fish taco submission, plus all the others, will be included in the Challenge Round-Up in the beginning of April.

~
Thanks for all your great cooking this week - what an awesome selection of dishes and some great inspiration to lead us into the weekend.
~
Don't forget about Megan's Challenge, our optional bonus challenge for March.
Tyler's Ultimate Fish Tacos are a sure bet for kicking off Spring.
Click
here for details.

5 comments:

Deb in Hawaii said...

WOW! Wonderful Round-Up Natashya--it takes a lot of effort and is appreciated! Looks like a big variety of terrrific recipes and the perfect way to welcome Spring! Great job everyone!

Nancy/n.o.e said...

Can it be Spring already? We have the perfect weather here, but boy the time has flown! Great looking food from everybody, once again.
Nancy

Reeni said...

Such delicious food! I see so many things I want to try. Thanks for the sweet words, your welcome for lunch anytime!

Julie said...

I always love coming by to see what y'all have cooked up! Makes me hungry, it all looks delicious :)

Unknown said...

I love walking barefoot. I walk barefoot all the time! I only put on shoes when I leave to go somewhere. If I am walking around my neighborhood or house, I am shoeless and sock less. Although, I have been know to walk outside in my socks. As usual, everything looks amazing, but I am still ogling the pulled pork sandwiches!