Greet spring in a cheerful manner at any holiday celebration with these cute birds’ nest lemon cheesecake trifles. Using a no-bake recipe, the lemon cheesecake is a yummy whipped mixture of lemon curd and mascarpone.  The “nest” is made with thinly slice phyllo dough, topped with cinnamon/sugar and the base is shortbread crumbles. If you need to cut some time, you can always use high-quality store-purchased shortbread cookies. Phyllo Dough Nest INGREDIENTS: 6 sheets of phyllo dough 1 tablespoon cinnamon 2 tablespoons sugar 2 tablespoons melted butter INSTRUCTIONS: Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Place a sheet of parchment paper on a baking sheet tray. Cut 6 sheets of phyllo dough in half to make 12 shorter sheets. Roll together tightly and very thinly slice into long thin pieces then transfer to a baking sheet carefully separating the layers. Combine the cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl. Sprinkle with butter, then with cinnamon sugar. Bake until browned, 8 to...

Perfect for spring or summer parties, these quick and easy tartlets make a tasty treat for any social occasion. The recipe comes together is a short time and can be refrigerated until ready to serve. You can make your lemon curd or use a high-quality jarred version such as Williams-Sonoma, Stonewall Kitchens, or Wilkin and Sons. INGREDIENTS: 30 frozen filo tartlet shells ½ stick butter 1 cup sugar One large egg and one large egg yolk 1 ½ tablespoons flour ½ cup buttermilk ½ teaspoon vanilla Pinch cinnamon 5 tablespoons lemon curd, high quality jarred or homemade 15 raspberries, sliced in half 30 baby mint sprigs, optional INSTRUCTIONS: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Set the frozen filo shells on a cookie sheet. Add the butter and sugar to a large bowl. Using a hand mixer, combine them until light and fluffy. Incorporate the eggs and mix in well. Add the flour and mix until combined. Add the buttermilk, vanilla, and cinnamon, mixing again until well combined. Carefully spoon ...

A welcome start for any spring event, appetizer, or a light dinner, our flatbread is chewy on the inside, crispy and crunchy on the outside. Covered in roasted garlic, black olives, parmesan cheese and fresh rosemary, it’s perfect for dipping in a fresh tomato sauce. You can substitute green-pitted olives for the black or if you’re not an olive fan, the flatbread tastes great without the olives too. This recipe showcases the pizza dough, so use a high-quality brand of either thawed, frozen store purchased or fresh homemade. INGREDIENTS: 1 large garlic bulb Olive oil Kosher salt ½ pound fresh homemade or thawed, frozen store-bought pizza dough 12 pitted black olives, cut in half 15 small sprigs fresh rosemary, about 3-5 leaves per sprig ½ cup shredded Parmesan Cheese, plus 1 teaspoon, divided ½ cup canned or boxed fresh tomatoes, chopped fresh ground pepper ½ teaspoon garlic powder 3-4 fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced INSTRUCTIONS: Preheat an oven to 375˚F. Cut the...

Summer rolls, also known as fresh spring rolls, are a refreshing light dish to make with rice paper wrappers rolled around fresh crunchy vegetables, chilled shrimp, fresh herbs, and rice noodles. Dip your summer rolls in an easy blender-made spicy peanut sauce to compliment the crunchy vegetables. Not dense like a fried Asian roll, these refreshingly delicious bites will have you thinking of the coming summer days. Vietnamese summer roll is not at all difficult to make. If you’re careful not to overstuff, the rice paper rounds are very forgiving. The process might look intimidating but is quite simple. In fact, the more you make, the easier it gets. Be sure to use soft lettuce leaves, like Bibb or Boston, rather than crispy like an iceberg, so they wrap nicely around your vegetables. Summer Rolls INGREDIENTS: 4 ounces rice vermicelli noodles 8 jumbo shrimp, peeled, deveined, and butterflied open 8 rice paper rounds, 8-9” in diameter ¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves only...

These delicious morsels not only taste great and travel well but also sustain travelers well. So if you are headed out for a spring day or down to the waterfront to celebrate the seasonal events, bring some Trail Mix Cookies packed full of nuts, dried fruit, oats, coconut, chocolate chips and peanut butter chips to keep your energy going. The brown butter drizzle icing isn’t necessary, but we just loved the extra flavor. Trail Mix Cookies: INGREDIENTS: ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour ½ teaspoon salt 1 ½ cups old-fashioned rolled oats 1 stick unsalted butter, softened ½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar ¼ cup granulated sugar 1 large egg ½ teaspoon baking soda dissolved in 1 tablespoon warm water ½ teaspoon vanilla extract ½ cup sweetened flaked coconut, toasted and cooled ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips ½ cup peanut butter chips ½ cup roasted and salted peanuts ½ cup roasted and salted cashew pieces ½ cup raisins INSTRUCTIONS: In a small bowl combine the flour...

Rhubarb is back and we couldn’t be happier. This upside down cake has cinnamon, cardamom, and ginger tossed together with rhubarb before baking under a tasty lemon cake. Serve warm and topped with fresh whipped cream for a sweet spring dessert. INGREDIENTS: 1 pound fresh rhubarb stalks, trimmed, and cut into 1-inch pieces 1 ½ cups granulated sugar, divided 2 teaspoons cornstarch ½  teaspoon ground ginger ½ teaspoon cinnamon ½ teaspoon ground cardamom ½ cup butter, plus more for the pan, divided 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan, divided 1 cup cake flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda ¼  teaspoon salt 1 cup granulated sugar 1 tablespoon lemon zest 2 eggs 1 cup buttermilk 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract Whipped cream for serving INSTRUCTIONS: Line a 9-inch springform pan base with parchment. Butter and flour the pan sides and the parchment. Combine the rhubarb, ½ cup granulated sugar, ginger, cinnamon, ...

Using only 5 ingredients, meringue cookies are some of the simplest to create. Egg whites are whipped to stiff peaks then dropped or piped onto cookie sheets and baked at a low temperature to dry to a crunchy delight. If you don’t like banana, you can substitute with your favorite flavor extract. INGREDIENTS: 4 egg whites ¼  teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar 1 tablespoon banana extract 1-1/2 cup fine* white sugar INSTRUCTIONS: Preheat oven to 200˚F. Add pieces of parchment paper to cover two baking sheets. Using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites, salt, cream of tartar, and banana extract until firm. Slowly add sugar in a stream while beating into the egg white mixture. Drop or pipe by onto the parchment lined sheet trays to make 15 cookies per sheet. Bake for 2 hours. Turn the oven off and leave the cookies in the oven to cool, 2 hours or up to overnight, to dry. Makes 30 cookies. *process the sugar in a food processor for 1-2 minutes until ground fine.