Spring Recipes

April Fool’s Meatloaf Cake

A family favorite meatloaf recipe masquerades as a cake in this tricky dinner that delights kids and adults alike!    My dadโ€™s favorite April Foolโ€™s joke wouldnโ€™t play very well this year. When I was a girl, heโ€™d celebrate this mischievous holiday by waking me up with the proclamation that a foot of snow had…

Throw Back Thursday — Strawberries & Cream Baked Oatmealโ€ฆand Happy Spring!

Recently, I began to dig into the archives of this blog for a special “Throw Back Thursday” meal each week on The Fountain Avenue Kitchen Facebook page.  Sometimes, I am so focused on sharing new recipes in this space that I neglect the old favorites.  Occasionally, it is one of my kids who asks for…

Brown Soda Bread with Steel Cut Oats

Hearty, wholesome bread has never been so easy, thanks to this yeast-free, no-knead recipe. The finished loaf slices beautifully and tastes great! When I experiment with recipes, I am never 100% sure how they will turn out. Sometimes, a new recipe takes repeated tries, especially in the baking department. I aim to limit white flour…

Oโ€™Brien Irish Stew

This classic Irish stew was passed down from the decades old recipe box of an Irish friend. The tried-and-true recipe offers oven and slow cooker options, and the flavor improves over time, making it a great make-ahead meal.   Most Americans think of stew as having a thick gravy base. But traditional Irish stew is…

Apricot Peach Yogurt Smoothie

Christian and I had a date with Grace, my 2-year-old niece, to make homemade play dough (see the blue fingernails in the photo below) and after lots of rolling, cutting, pressing, and being silly, they were hungry! ย I had promised Christian an apricot peach smoothie the day before, and we never got around to it.…

Classic Strawberry Jam

The quintessential flavor of homemade strawberry jam is easy to achieve thanks to these simple instructions! This is the recipe my grandmother always used for her strawberry jam. It’s traditional strawberry jam at its best. The taste and color when freshly made can’t be beat. Opening a jar in the cold winter months provides the…

Strawberry Rhubarb Baked Oatmeal

A while back, I picked up a good tidbit of information from a stand owner at our local farmer’s market:  Rhubarb season lasts through the longest day of the year–the first day of summer. Same for asparagus.  I find this helpful as the early days of summer approach.  It is a reminder to get my…

Strawberry Pesto Pasta Salad

This recipe came from Genevieve, an English teacher at Lancaster Country Day School. Another teacher told Genevieve she simply must share this recipe for the Summer Salad Challenge conducted by The Lancaster Sunday News and me.  The recipe came from Genevieve’s sister and, conceptually, it caught my attention right away.  Beyond offering a novel, seasonal…

Spring Millet Salad

This springy salad is equally delicious served warm, chilled, or room temperature. And though you could replace the millet with couscous or quinoa, the tiny grain has a mild, corn-like flavor that offers a great way to mix things up.   As I continue to experiment with recipes using millet, I have made variations of…

Baked Greens with Mushrooms and Blue Cheese

As my garden grows and local market stands overflow with spring greens, I have been diving deeper into one of my two assigned food trends:  bitter greens.  For those who may not have read previously, I am on a yearlong journey with Sargento Cheese, developing recipes and exploring the food trends that were developed by…

Rhubarb Streusel Muffins

Sweet and tangy with a tender crumb, Rhubarb Streusel Muffins are sure to become a seasonal favorite. The recipe makes a big batch too!   When short-lived, seasonal ingredients that you really enjoy become available, do you feel as though you have to eat them with abandon to get your fill? With many fruits and vegetables,…

Ginger Almond Rhubarb Bars with Coconut Crust

Happy Mother’s Day! ย Not only is the following dessert a favorite of my mother, the timing is ideal, as rhubarbโ€™s short season is upon us.ย  If you havenโ€™t baked with rhubarb before, this recipe is a very good starting point. I am not sure how many people would offer up rhubarb bars when asked their…

Get recipes delivered straight to your inbox.