Happy first day of spring!

Wow, time has been flying! I feel like it was just yesterday that I was helping my mom put together the Thanksgiving menu, and here we are on spring’s doorstep, and Pittsburgh seemed to skip right over the winter season. Even though we didn’t have much snow or bitter temperatures, I took full advantage of the hibernation season, cooking up a lot of chili and baking up a lot of chocolate-heavy sweets. With the turn of the season comes a greater variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, spring holidays, and warmer temperatures. All perfect excuses for changing things up in the kitchen, using fresh produce, and breaking out the grill. Below is a list of some of my favorite recipes for this wonderful time of year – the bridge between harsh winters and sweltering summers, when turning on the oven still isn’t so bad. Enjoy browsing the recipes below!

Drinks

Classic Lemonade
Ginger-Tea Lemonade
Malted Vanilla Milkshake
White Sangria

Breakfast/Brunch

Bacon, Cheddar & Green Onion Scones
Baked Doughnuts with Cinnamon-Sugar
Best Buttermilk Pancakes
Blueberry Buttermilk Scones
Blueberry Crumb Cake
Blueberry Muffins
Buttermilk Biscuits
Caramelized Onion, Mushroom & Gruyere Puff Pastry Tarts
Coffeecake Muffins
Cranberry Orange Scones
Cream Cheese Cinnamon Rolls
Croissants
Danish Braid
Fruit and Almond Granola
Hot Cross Buns
Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
Monkey Bread
New York-Style Crumb Cake
Orange Berry Muffins
Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Appetizers

Artichoke Spinach Dip
Baked Asiago and Caramelized Onion Hummus
Cheddar Ale Spread
Chicken Spread
Cucumber-Tomato Bruschetta in Phyllo Cups
Fontina-Stuffed, Bacon-Wrapped Dates
Fruit Dip
Parmesan & Thyme Crackers
Pigu (an old family recipe!)

Main Dishes

California Rolls
Chicken Salad
Cobb Salad
Grilled Fish Tacos
Italian Chicken Salad Sandwich
Roasted Shrimp and Orzo
Waldorf Salad

Side Dishes

Antipasto Salad
Best Ever Potato Salad
Broccoli Salad
Creamy Cucumber Salad
Creamy, Lighter Macaroni Salad
Deviled Eggs
Egg Salad
Italian Pasta Salad
Panzanella
Potato Salad with Herbed Balsamic Vinaigrette
The Signature Salad

Cakes

Angel Food Cake
Black and White Chocolate Cake
Blueberry Boy Bait
Brownie Mosaic Cheesecake
Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Espresso Cheesecake
Fig and Almond Cheesecake
Hidden Berry Cream Cheese Torte
Honey Cake
Honey-Vanilla Sour Cream Pound Cake
Pavlova
Perfect Party Cake
Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
Rainbow Cake
Strawberry Mirror Cake
Tres Leches Cake

Cookies and Bars

Blackberry Pie Bars
Chocolate-Dipped Coconut Macaroons
Coconut Chocolate Chunk Blondies
Congo Bars
Date Bars
Easter Egg Sugar Cookies
Granola Cookies
Lemon Bars
Lemon Burst Cookies
Peach Crumb Bars
Pizzelle
Raspberry Streusel Bars
Strawberry Pretzel Squares

Cupcakes

Ambrosia Cupcakes
Banana Cupcakes with Vanilla Pastry Cream
Cherry Coke Float Cupcakes
Lemon-Limoncello Cupcakes
Margarita Cupcakes
Tiramisu Cupcakes

Pies and Tarts

Banana Cream Pie
Blueberry Pie
Chocolate Bourbon Walnut Pie
Fresh Strawberry Pie
Lemon Meringue Pie
Orange Cream Tart
Rhubarb-Pie Tartlets
Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie
Strawberry Tart

What are some of your favorite spring-inspired dishes or recipes?
Any requests for the upcoming season?