Hey all, I wanted to include some recipes for this weekend's celebration!
This is probably my favorite time of the year to start off the summer. I love the warm weather, the BBQ's, and the comfort of being around family. I hope you all have a safe weekend and enjoy the time off.

-Serrena

Appetizer:
Tropical Fruit Salad

    * 1 medium ripe papaya, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
    * 1 medium ripe mango, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
    * 1/2 pineapple, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
    * 1 medium jalapeno pepper, seeded and ribs removed, minced
    * 1 small red onion, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
    * 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
    * 1 tablespoon grated lime zest
    * 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
    * Coarse salt
  
Directions
    * In a medium bowl, combine all of the ingredients. Serve immediately. This may be made 1 hour ahead, without adding papaya, and refrigerated. Add papaya just before serving.


Side Dish:
Garlicky Roasted Asparagus

Ingredients

    * 2 pounds asparagus, trimmed
    * 2 tablespoons olive oil
    * 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
    * Coarse salt and ground pepper

Directions

*Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a large rimmed baking sheet,   toss asparagus with oil and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Roast until tender and browned in spots, 15 to 18 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Main Dish:
Simple Salt and Pepper Chicken

Ingredients

    * 1 tablespoon coarse salt
    * 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
    * 1 whole chicken (3 to 4 pounds), quartered, rinsed, and patted dry

Directions

   * Preheat grill to medium-high. (If you are using a charcoal grill, coals are ready when you can hold your hand 5 inches above grill for just 3 to 4 seconds.)
   * Combine salt and pepper. Rub chicken with mixture, covering all sides and shaking off excess. (You may not need all of the mixture.) Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes.
   * Place chicken on grill, skin side down. Close cover, and grill 8 minutes. Flip chicken, and close cover. Grill until chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes more.
   * Transfer chicken to a plate, and let rest 15 minutes. Serve with bread salad


Dessert:
Apricot Dessert Quesadillas

Ingredients

    * 1/2 cup light cream cheese, whipped
    * 1 Tbsp sugar
    * 1/2 tsp lemon zest
    * 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
    * 4 medium tortilla, flour, fat-free
    * 4 medium apricot(s), sliced into thin wedges
    * 1 sprays cooking spray, butter-flavored
    * 1 Tbsp powdered sugar
    * 1 serving butter-flavor cooking spray

Directions

    * Stir cream cheese, granulated sugar, zest and lemon juice together in a medium bowl. Spread 1/4 of mixture on one half of each tortilla, layer each with 1/4 of apricot slices and fold each tortilla in half.

    * Coat a 12-inch nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Arrange 2 folded tortillas in skillet; cook over medium heat until golden brown, flipping once, about 4 to 5 minutes on the first side and 1 to 2 minutes on the other side. Remove from skillet, cover to keep warm and repeat with remaining 2 tortillas.

    * Cut each tortilla in half to form quarter wedges, place on a serving platter, dust with powdered sugar (use a sieve) and serve. Yields 2 wedges per serving.  -Flavor Booster: The hot-sweet bite of ginger adds an exciting taste dimension to the quesadillas. Halve the sugar in the cream cheese spread and mix in 1 tbsp finely minced candied ginger.

ENJOY!

Hey All! So are you enjoying the warmer weather? As for me, I actually grew up in Salinas and moved here to good 'ol Bakersfield when I was about 13.....well, now that it's been about 9 years since then you would think I would have been used to the weather.  I must admit I do love summer nights, but during the day.......find me hiding in a freezer! As a way to sort of kick off the summer months ahead, since mother nature decided to get us started EARLY,  I decided to give a recipe I've used many many times from Martha' website. It not only is the easiest recipe I have ever used for a really good margarita, but it is also happens to be my ultimate favorite drink.

Ingredients

Serving: Makes 4

• 1 cup frozen whole strawberries   ( already frozen strawberries can be bought at any local grocery store )
  
• 6 tablespoons tequila
• 1/4 cup frozen limeade concentrate   ( *Limeade concentrate consists of just sugar and lemon juice. )
  
• 2 tablespoons triple sec
• 2 cups crushed ice

Enjoy! Hey if anyone has any summer blends or any favorite recipes, feel free to post them!

    Over the weekend I was poking around the internet and came across the website www.supertarget.com. On there I found some dessert recipes. The one that actually stood out was name Avocado pie. Being that the main ingredient is a favorite fruit of mine, I never would have thought that making a pie that included this ingredient  would actually taste good. Come to think of it, it actually tasted a lot like key lime pie!
    The recipe says it takes about 30-minutes to put together. When I made it, it took me just a little over 10 minutes. All in all it was a really simple recipe. 
    Side note: When shopping for avocados make sure to get the really soft ones so they can be easily mashed. I came across another recipe that said you can also bake in the oven at 350º for 20 minutes and then chill for about 2.5 -3 hours. (Whichever works for you)

What you need:
• 1 avocado, mashed
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, or to taste
• 1 (9 inch) pie shell, baked

What you do:

1. Stir milk into mashed avocado. Stir in lemon juice. Combine well, then pour into pie shell. Cover, and refrigerate at least 4 hours. Serve with cool whip.        & nbsp;       &n bsp; 
   

Enjoy!
-Serrena

Is that like asking do you like Kung Pao goulash?

How does chile verde, a staple at Mexican restaurants, end up on Italian pizza?

I can't answer that. Go to Tony's Pizza at 4130 California Ave. near Circuit City and find out because Tony (which in Spanish is Antonio) has it.

We would like to know how you like it. 

Does it taste good or is this a blatant violation of the one dish, one nationality rule? Is there such a rule or did I make that up?

Posted by Steve E. Swenson

Of course, we don't mean dive in a bad way.

But not every restaurant has white table cloths and cold salad forks.

Some have both real people and real food, the kind you eat when you are around real people. Elegant no, but fun yes.

And those are the kind of places we'd like to know where you like to go to have some good food that's served with a little attitude.

My all time Kern County favorite was Green's on 178 on the road to Bodfish which back in the day served a Sonora Enchilada for $2.50 that would feed you for a week.

The Burger Hut on 19th Street is a local favorite.

Posted by Steve E. Swenson

So I've tried Siam Dish over on Ming and Stine. And I have to say I wasn't impressed with the dish I had nor the experience of the restaurant. The only Thai food restaurant I have tried and will compare other restaurants too  is Royal Thai in San Luis Obispo. I used to live in San Luis Obispo when I was going to college and I swear nothing has ever compared to how great of a place that restaurant is. So my question is, are there any thai food places that are worth going too? If so, please explain what you've had and your experience (good or bad). I have been craving some really good thai food since I've moved back to Bakersfield and since my experience with Siam Dish I've given up hope.


-Serrena

So, being that Valentine's Day is a very hectic day for some restaurants around town, did anyone find the time to take that special someone out for a romantic Valentine's Day dinner they deserve? Or perhaps the whole family? If so, don't forget to Dine N' Dish by  submitting a review to the Inside Guide!
http://people.bakersfield.c...

Happy Valentine's Day! I thought I'd spread a little love by giving a simple recipe on how to make some lovely cupcakes. I hope everyone has a good day! Enjoy them not only with a loved one but with the people you LOVE that help bring joy to your life.
http://www.marthastewart.co...

-Serrena

In our series of "where can I get something," this one is where can I get great soup in town?

While I love soup, I rarely order it out. The exception is Italian restaurants like Sorella's and Joseph's where I always order Minestrone soup.

But other places  always have soup as a regular feature. And I like the soup at The Great Castle.

Where is soup on for you?

Posted by Steve E. Swenson

We are going to start asking "where can I" questions again.

So today's is where can I get the best pancake in town?

And do you like them fat or thin, with regular syrup or the rainbow of flavors out there?

I don't eat pancakes that often, but if I deliberately go out to have some, I will go to IHOP every time. Love the choices of the syrups.

Posted by Steve E. Swenson