Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party!

Welcome to yet another Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party!!  This has been such a fun weekly gathering of fellow foodies and I just love all the wonderful, creative recipes you all are sharing!

Here are the top three recipes from last week as voted on by the viewers!

At #1 we have the S'mores Cookie Cake from That Skinny Girl can Bake

At #2 we have the Choc. Chip Cookie Dough Bilionaire Bars from From Calculus to Cupcakes

At #3 we have a 4 way tie between: 

Light Blueberry Donuts from All is Amazing, 

Marinara and cheesesticks from Cooking from a Stay at Home Mom, 

Berries and Cream Muffins from Baking with Precious, 

Skinny Choc Chip Mint Ice Cream Sandwiches from Part time Housewife. 

For my favorite of the party, I chose the amazing Watermelon Cake from Calculus to Cupcakes!  I thought is was so very creative and fun.  With watermelon season just around the corner for my neck of the woods, I can't wait to surprise my family with this recipe!  

Alright.  Now let's get this party started!  I can't wait to see all the recipes you share and please leave a comment if you linked from here!  :)  Below are all the hosts.  Remember, when you like once, you will show up on all these blogs!  Great exposure!!

Our Hosts this week are:

Tracy at Busy Vegetarian Mom  http://www.busyvegetarianmom.com/
Robyn at Robyn's View  http://www.robynsviewathome.blogspot.com/
Angie at A lil Country Sugar  http://alilcountrysugar.blogspot.com/
Wayne at Passione Per Cucina http://www.passionepercucina.blogspot.co.uk/p/welcome.html
Sarah at Everything in the Kitchen Sink  http://everythingkitchensink.blogspot.com/
Michelle at From Calculus to Cupcakes  http://www.fromcalculustocupcakes.blogspot.com/
Marlys at This and That  http://marlys-thisandthat.blogspot.com/
Brianne at Cupcakes and Kale Chips  http://cupcakesandkalechips.com/
Lois at  Walking on Sunshine http://wifeofthecolonel.blogspot.com/
Erika at Chef Picky Kid and Me  http://chefpickykid.com/
Lindsey at Family Food Finds  http://www.familyfoodfinds.com/
Cindy at Cindys Recipes and Writings  http://www.cindysrecipesandwritings.com/
Dawn at DJ's Sugar Shack  http://www.djssugarshack.com/
Skye at http://www.avirtualessence.blogspot.com/
Sheri at http://www.homemadeservedhere.com/
Keira at Luscious Delights http://www.lusciousdelights.blgospot.com.au/
Amber at Mama's Blissful Bites www.mamasblissfulbites.wordpress.com

Now....Lets get to the fun.  

Here are the rules for the party:

Step 1:  Make sure that anything you link up is:

• A Recipe...and is made and photographed by you
• Not part of a sponsership/sales/giveaway or other promotions/linky parties
• Linked to a specific page of your recipe, not your homepage

Step 2:

• Show some love and link back to my blog and Foodie Friends Friday (http://www.foodiefriendsfriday.com ) on the post of the recipe you are submitting.

* for example:  This recipe is featured on "Host Blog Link" and  http://www.foodiefriendsfriday.com  Linky Party)

If you want to be the very best Foodie Friend Ever...

• Grab our button at http://foodiefriendsfriday.com and put it on your page and share Foodie Friends Friday!
• Take some time and check out other submitted links and the blogs of all of our gracious hosts
• Come on over and "like" us on Facebook or Follow us on Twitter and Pinterest

***Please note that by linking up you are giving permission to use photos/links on Foodie Friends Friday and any of it's affiliated websites or publications.  If photos/recipes are used, proper credit/ linkbacks will be published with them.  We just want to share your amazing recipes and spread some foodie <3 !

• Have Fun and Thank You for Visiting!!

Pesto, Tomato, Goat Cheese, and Arugula Pizza

This is one of the first out-of-the-box pizzas I ever made, and my family instantly fell in love!  Because the flavor of the tomatoes is so important, we only make this during tomato season.   I knew it was going to be one of the first recipes I made with this year's tomato crop!  The quality of the pesto is also key, so please, PLEASE make your own!  This pizza is a little more complicated to eat with the whole arugula leaves on top, so I will chop some of the arugula to top my daughter's pieces; it makes it much easier for her to handle.  We will be enjoying this fantastic pizza throughout the summer and I sure hope you will too!

Ingredients
your favorite pizza crust
1/3-1/2 C pesto
3-4 tomatoes, sliced
4 oz crumbled goat cheese
two large handfuls of arugula
olive oil

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 475 degrees with your pizza stone inside.  
2. Spread the pesto evenly over the pizza crust.  Place your tomato slices around the pizza and top with the goat cheese.
3. Bake directly on the pizza stone for about 10 mins or until the goat cheese is lightly browned.
4. While the pizza is baking, place the arugula in a bowl and toss with a drizzle of olive oil to very lightly and evenly coat the leaves.
5. Cut pizza into slices and top with arugula to serve. 

Adapted from Myra Goodman

Snack Idea - Frozen Cherries

Now is one of my favorite times of year.  My local farm has fresh cherries that are brought in from the central valley of California.  These cherries are so fantastic!  They are amazing in a myriad of recipes, but on hot summer days, nothing beats a bowl of frozen cherries.  When I purchase a bunch of fresh cherries, I immediately clean and pit them.  Then I fill a bag and put it in the freezer.  I swear, they last for so many months!  In southern California, we can have random hot days all year round, so I almost always have some on hand.  They are as refreshing as a popsicle without any extra sugar.  My daughter will sit and pop them like candy (I do have to cut up some of the bigger cherries).  It is a great snack throughout the hot summer months!  I hope you give it a try!

Broccoli with Garlic Butter and Cashews

Broccoli is one of those vegetables my daughter could eat every single day.  I always want to give her a variety of flavors, so coming up with tasty new ways to cook broccoli is a continuous challenge.  This recipe is so simple and such a flavorful method to serve this often overlooked vegetable.  Forget the cheese sauce; this mild Asian flavor will compliment a variety of main dishes.  It only uses a few ingredients and takes just a few minutes to prepare.  It won over my entire family, and I hope yours will love it too!

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds fresh broccoli, cut into bite size florets
3 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp brown sugar
3 Tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp white vinegar
1/4 tsp black pepper
3 cloves minced garlic
1/3 C lightly salted cashews, chopped

Directions

1. Steam broccoli for 5-7 minutes until tender but still crisp.  Assemble on platter or shallow bowl.
2. While the broccoli is steaming, melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat.  
3. Mix in brown sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, pepper, and garlic.  Bring to a boil then remove from heat.
4. Stir in the cashews and pour sauce over broccoli.
5. Serve immediately.

Adapted from Salsiepie

Weekly Menu

Summer is officially here now that tomatoes are available at my local farm!!  I love this time of year and we eat fresh tomatoes as often as we can during the summer.  In fact, there are several recipes I will only make when local organic tomatoes are available.  They make all the difference in the final product!  In addition to tomatoes, we picked up some sweet Maui onion, corn, broccoli, cilantro, peaches, and plums.  Better yet, we have basil and cucumber right from our own backyard!  With this wonderful bunch of produce, I will be making the following meals this week.

• Make Your Own Quesadilla with Homemade Salsa
• using the sweet Maui onion, corn, and cilantro

• Chinese Tofu Stir-fry with Broccoli in Garlic Butter and Cashews
• using the broccoli

• Pesto, Tomato, Goat Cheese, and Arugula Pizza with a Corn, Cucumber, and Tomato Salad
• using the tomatoes, basil, corn, and cucumber

We will be enjoying peaches and plums for dessert.  :)