What do you do while the main course items are heating in the oven? That's easy. You pour yourself a glass of your favorite wine and snack on some FANCY CHEESE SPREAD. This cheese spread does pull from a classic cheese called liptauer cheese, but that really doesn't matter very much. Think about it more like this: you're having some delicious American wine in Napa or Sonoma, and gosh darn it, you'd really like some pimento cheese or something to go along with this wine. But we can't have pimento cheese at a classy winery, we need something more composed and a touch fancier, but something that still scratches that itch. This is the stuff. Creamed goat cheese folded together with homemade cottage cheese for texture and shredded gouda for mellow flavor, seasoned with garlic and a touch of other seasonings. Spread that out onto a plate, top it with some pickled peppers and green onions, lay out some crostini on the side... now that's fancy.

If you know me well, you know I can't resist a quality savory pie. The possibilities are endless, from something super hearty like an English Steak and Onion Pie to something lighter but still substantial like SALMON-SPINACH-POTATO PIE. Let's get one thing out of the way... this is not a quiche. But if you're into something like a salmon quiche you'll be into this. I'll be poaching fresh salmon and flaking that, then mixing in a little smoked salmon for flavor, sauteed spinach of course, golden potatoes, and then holding that all together with a firm savory custard and baking the whole shebang. We aren't done though, you'll also get some tasty marinated cherry tomatoes to go on top after heating the pie slices. This dish has a lot of different textures and flavors flying around... it's great.

Since it's spring, we need a nice veggie-centric salad that doesn't suck. SPRING GREEN STUFF SALAD is that salad. Blanched asparagus and green beans along with fresh cucumber and snap peas, a mix of romaine and baby kale, and excellent green goddess dressing. There's not much else to say here, and there doesn't have to be... fresh and blanched veggies with great dressing, that's something that everyone can like.

We need one more warm dish that pairs nicely with our main course item, something that's different enough but still compliments it and feels right. I'm thinking that BAKED ARTICHOKE HEARTS WITH ALMOND SAUCE fits the bill perfectly. Marinated artichoke hearts laid on top of a saffron almond sauce, topped with buttered bread crumbs, a touch of lemon, and toasted almonds, ready for your oven. The real magic here is the almond sauce... so what's almond sauce? Its derived from a classic Spanish sauce, but that's not important. White wine and some aromatics along with a pinch of saffron, cooked down with strong stock and thickened with ground almonds. The result is "creamy" but without cream, making it something that's super tasty but not heavy. It's great stuff, and it'll really make those artichokes shine.

Alright, so I know we're supposed to be doing "bright, fresh" stuff this week, but I'm breaking that rule with dessert this week. Come on, it's dessert, live a little! CHOCOLATE-SPECULOOS BLONDIES are rich and sweet, but I'll still be sticking with my signature "not overly sweet" style with these. What's a speculoos? It's a spiced cookie from Belgium, but don't worry about that. It's the stuff that they make cookie butter out of, that's the important part... and if you haven't had cookie butter then you haven't been living life to the fullest. I'll be swirling some cookie butter into a standard blondie batter, throwing in some excellent Belgian chocolate, then topping that with crushed cookies and toasted coconut. This isn't something you're likely to find at a bakery nearby, which is a real shame because these things are wonderful, unique, and delicious. Fortunately, you can try them this week!