My Madison Bistro

This is without a doubt my favorite summer salad, a salad that is so good it has had me looking forward to a Monday, just so I could have it for lunch. You dont even have to plan ahead for this salad when youre already grilling chicken breasts, simply make a couple of extra and youll have lunch or dinner later in the week.

The best part of this salad is its versatility simply use whatever fruit is in season at that point in the summer, whether its berries, stone fruit, tropical fruit whatever you have. Adding cheese and nuts rounds out the salad nicely, and again, just throw on whatever you have that you enjoy you wont regret it!

Continue reading “chicken & fruit salad”

Tags: chicken, fruit, melon, poppyseed dressing

A favorite recipe from the archives!

During the summer when it’s unbearably hot, most people probably wouldn’t even consider turning on their oven. I am not most people.

I had some peaches and raspberries that were just beyond the peak of ripeness; if I didn’t eat them or cook with them, bacteria would be happy to enjoy those fruits instead. I simply couldn’t let delicious fruit go to waste!

In such a state of emergency, I think you’ll understand that I really had no choice, I had to turn these fruits into a dessert. My favorite quick, easy, and delicious fruit dessert is hands-down the crumble.

But I’m very picky about my crumbles. If I have apples or pears on hand, I like making a crisp with an oat topping, but for stone fruits and berries…oats simply do not belong. These fruits are so delicate that they just beg for a topping that isn’t too heavy.

Enter the crumble.

Continue reading “Summer Fruit Crumble”

Tags: blueberries, peaches, raspberries

For years, my recipe for party cookies was my go-to recipe for chocolate chip cookies. People always asked for the recipe, some even told me to open a bakeshop!

Unfortunately, over time I’ve become immune to the charms of those cookies, and I simply had to look for something new. When I saw that Deb on Smitten Kitchen had proclaimed a recipe to be not just her favorite cookie, but one she’s made more than once, I had to try it.

I have to say, these cookies didn’t disappoint. I love the buttery richness the pecans lend to the cookies. I will definitely be making these again the next time the temperature drops this summer; they freeze wonderfully, so stock up, if you like.

Continue reading “Chocolate Chip Cookies”

Tags: chocolate, comfort food, cookies

Croissants: buttery, flaky, decadent. And absolutely delicious.

I’ve wanted to make them for ages, but I never seemed to plan ahead enough to make them in time for the weekend. You need to start the dough a day or two before you want to actually bake the croissants, and I used the “not planning” excuse to put off making them. In reality, I was slightly intimidated, though I’m not exactly sure why because I don’t often screw up baking.

Since I currently have some extra time on my hands and am looking for ways to keep myself busy, I decided to tackle croissants over the weekend. After the first bite of layers of buttery richness, I kicked myself for not making these sooner.

Letting the dough sit in the fridge for an extra day or two only resulted in a more complex flavor – sometimes it does pay to procrastinate! I’m telling you, these make the perfect Sunday morning breakfast. You’ll need to get up a little early to do the turns in the dough, but it’s so worth it.

Continue reading “Croissants”