July 10th Round-Up!

Enjoying July so far? Hopefully you are getting a chance to have some summer fun! Some of that fun may be in the kitchen or at the grill, cooking Tyler's delicious recipes. 

Let's take a look at who cooked with Tyler this week!

Even slicing off the tip of her finger didn't discourage Heather from Heatherisathome from loving Tyler's The Ultimate Potato Gratin. She says: "All I have to say is DELICIOUS!!! These were, by far, the best potatoes I have ever had, made, eaten, put in my mouth. The aroma coming from the oven was amazing. They were beautiful, tasteful, and left me with a sense of, I have found my favorite Tyler Florence recipe."

Michelle from Big Black Dog says "For our 4th of July weekend we were having BBQ Ribs and I wanted the dessert to be something light and refreshing! Tyler's Strawberry Lemon Puddings were perfect. I added blueberries and sprinkled a few on top for our red, white and blue!" She also loved her dessert title saying, "Isn't that the cutest name for a dessert!"

Wanting to pamper her husband after a rough day, Beth of The Seventh Level of Boredom decided to try Tyler's Salt Crusted Porterhouse and Smashed Potatoes with Peas. She says, "The first bite you take, the salt hits you first, but immediately mellows and you get the robust taste of the steak, sealed in the juices by the salt crust. This recipe got an A+ from my husband."

The fact she couldn't get calamari didn't prevent Pam at Sidewalk Shoes from making one of Tyler's Ultimate salads, she made an easy substitution and had The Ultimate Greek Salad with Grilled Scallops. Pam says to, "Think of it as calamari with the hole filled in. This, of course, was wonderful. I've had Greek salads with grilled chicken, but never grilled scallops. They added a sweet and smokey flavor that was very enjoyable."

An abundance of fresh local blueberries in season had Arlene at The Food of Love looking for a great, easy recipe to use them in, and she found it with Tyler's Blueberry Cheesecake Bars. Arleen says they are "super-easy, super-fast, and super-scrumptious" and that she "found the citrus amount a perfect counterpoint to the sweetness of the cream cheese and sugar mixture."

Joanne from Eats Well with Others made an easy and delicious  casserole out of Tyler's Chicken Enchiladas for her family before leaving for school. She says, "My dad loved them, extolling their virtues to my brother, who was doubtful. I thought they could have been a little spicier and more seasoned but that's probably because I toned down the spices and seasoning for my aforementioned father. It's also probably because I could douse all my food in red pepper flakes and still beg for more."

Megan of My Baking Adventures has fallen in love with Tyler's Grilled Focaccia, even though she "changed it so much it may not be what Tyler Florence originally had in mind." Megan declares, "I’ve died and gone to carb~lovers heaven. Bread, mozzarella cheese, fresh basil, spicy sausage, olive oil, and fresh black pepper. A perfect union. Ahhhh…….I’ll bet it’s even better with the salad on top -but I loved it just the way it was."

For her first TFF post, Lorra from Glitterkitchen, made Tyler's Chicken Francese. A big fan of the dish with her own regular recipe, she gave Tyler's version a shot and was happy she did, saying, "This will now be my go to recipe for chicken francese. It was literally almost gone from the time it hit the table. Matter of fact... my girls and hubby were fighting over my portion."  

Kim from Stirring the Pot thought that Tyler's Watermelon Nectar with Lime Salt looked like "the perfect mixed drink for summer" and decided to try it this week. After adding half of the amount of tequila Tyler called for she still found the drink to be pretty strong. Kim says that "The drink is beautiful, refreshing, and crisp. If you enjoy a strong drink, make this one!! Or, try it without the tequila. I think that would be great too!!"

Ready to try her very first Chili Cheese Dogs, our sheltered friend Natashya from Living in the Kitchen with Puppies, looked to Tyler for the recipe. Natashya says, "In Canada chili is generally just eaten with some crusty bread in the depths of winter, usually after hockey games and other toe-chilling events. Tyler's chili is one like I have never seen before, this recipe is surely designed solely to top hot dogs, being made primarily out of condiments. And you know what? It's good, really good."

Tyler's Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Squares have proved very popular with our TFF group. Although blueberries aren't quite in season yet in her neck of the woods, Jenny from All Things Edible finds that "they freeze fabulously, so good berries are always available to make this tasty little bar. Okay, it is really a cheesecake baked square and cut into bars, but it's still tasty!"

At Kahakai Kitchen, I needed the perfect easy recipe that matched with the movie "Ramen Girl" for a couch potato night in. After seeing Jessica of My Baking Heart's version of Tyler's Chicken Noodle Ramen Soup, I knew it was the perfect match. Oh so easy and delicious it was the perfect "comfort food" dinner and is a big step up in flavor and much healthier than instant ramen. Yum!

Announcements! Announcements!

Our featured recipe for this week, representing Tyler Florence Fridays this week on Tyler's site is....

A perfect summer dessert, Strawberry Lemon Puddings by Michelle at Big Black Dog! Congratulations Michelle! Your post will be placed on Tyler's blog next week!

The winner of our final monthly cookbook giveaway, Dinner at My Place, (hint, hint Tyler and his his peeps!) is Heather from Heatherisathome!  Congrats to Heather! I will be contacting you to get your mailing address. (Hope the book makes up for the finger slicing!) 

Don't forget about our optional "Megan's Challenge" pick of Quinoa Pilaf this month. This will be a fun one to adapt and get your favorite summer veggies in there. Get the details here.

Thanks to everyone who cooked along with Tyler this week!  Enjoy your weekend!