Here in Calgary we pretty much skipped Spring and headed straight for Summer – I am not complaining! I’ve been enjoying the sunshine and blue-bird skies as well as the longer days, taking full advantage of getting outside.

In May I went on a few more travel adventures; read some really great books and enjoyed many new recipes! So let’s dig into some of my favourites from the past month.

At the beginning of May I met one of my best girlfriends in beautiful Scottsdale, Arizona for a girls trip! I purposely didn’t take a ton of photos of our adventures and food, trying to enjoy the trip sans-technology, however, a couple of things I must mention if you’re planning a trip there.

First of all, the weather was GORGEOUS! Anytime I’ve been down to Scottsdale in later April or early May it’s been hot and sunny every day and we took full advantage by enjoying time by the pool.

We hiked the Camelback Mountain Cholla Trail earlier one morning (before it got too hot!) which has some pretty sweet views.

If you want a unique and lively brunch experience, try the ‘bottomless brunch’ at Sumomaya which serves up tapas-style share plates for brunch PLUS bottomless mimosas. With a lively crowd, live music and tasty food we had an absolute blast!

And these Churro Waffles did not disappoint either!

One of the dinner’s we absolutely LOVED was from Fax Ox who serves a ‘modern take on Italian classics.’  The Garganelli pasta with truffle butter, speck and parmesan was divine! It’s the most delicate and delicious pasta dish I’ve ever had and the Meyer Lemon Tart was the perfect combination of tart lemon with a bit of sweetness for dessert!

Then over the May Long Weekend, Scott and I travelled to the family cabin in BC. We went on the most epic paddleboard one morning; we headed out on Lake Windermere on a bright morning and the lake was like glass!

It was so calm and honestly we were one of the few people paddling around the lake so the views were absolutely breathtaking.

What did we cook this month? I’ve been going to the library more often to borrow cookbooks and making a ton of new recipes. My absolute favourite as of late is The Sprouted Kitchen cookbook. So far we have made the Lentil Meatballs with Lemon Pesto, Walnut-Crusted Salmon and Zucchini Bread Bites. This book is chalked-full of a variety of recipes and there’s still so many I want to make that I just renewed the book for another 3 weeks!

And, what are we cooking in June? Here are a few favourites from the blog based on What’s In Season this month!

Asparagus: Spring Vegetable Bowl with Lemon & Dill Chicken

Basil: Easy Basil Pesto

Cherries: Cherry Bourbon Lemonade Smash

Kale: Kale, Apple & Cheddar Salad with Spicy Chickpeas

Lettuce: Summer Vegetable & Grains Salad

Radishes: Spring Toast with Radishes, Pea Shoots & Feta

Rhubarb: Strawberry-Rhubarb Hand Pies

Strawberries: Strawberry Rhubarb Toasted Oat Sundaes

Tomatoes: Heirloom Tomatoes, Mozzarella & Sourdough Bread Board

Want to bookmark this list of recipes? Pin the image below so you can easily find it later!

Making one of these recipes?? Use #cookinginmygenes on Instagram to show me your creations!

Until the next cooking adventure,
Jess

The post What’s In Season – Monthly Favourites + 9 Recipes to Make in June appeared first on Cooking in my Genes.

First of all, I am SO ready for the Spring! Up until last week it was pretty chilly here in Calgary and as per usual we were still getting flurries instead of rain. I was however very lucky in that I had a nice little vacation to break up the April ‘winter’ weather.

I took a trip to Scottsdale with a friend of mine and it was a blast!

Scottsdale is one of my favourite places because there is a little bit of everything; plus its a pretty quick flight from Calgary! You can enjoy the glorious sunshine by the pool; there are tons of amazing restaurants; you can go play a round of golf or go for a hike; there’s a ton of places to shop or you can even go take in a baseball, football or hockey game. Or like me just really relax by the pool and enjoy lots of great food!

A couple of my favourite restaurants in Scottsdale are: The Mission, Sushi Roku and Isabella’s Kitchen which has one of the best views around and the patio is perfect for watching the sunset.

I also love to read on vacation and made it through this book called ‘The Flood Girls‘ about drama in a small town, mostly surrounding the characters who all play on a women’s softball team. It was a really fun read and would be perfect to add to your summer book list.  And I started another book called ‘Delicious,’ which is about a girl who moves to New York City to work at a food magazine; also a great story!

My friend and I also came up with what we think is an awesome poolside cocktail with some of the delicious fruit we picked up. We took a couple of mint leaves, strawberries and blackberries, added a dash of sugar and muddled everything at the bottom of a glass. Then we added in gin and sparkling water; what a refreshing cocktail it was!

Besides poolside cocktails we’ve been making some Spring-inspired dishes at home like these Sweet Chili Salmon Skewers from Killing Thyme and my very own Delicious Shrimp Pasta.

And you know what, this month ended up being a lot about connecting with people over food. From great dinners with friends to making new friends too! I met up with a fellow food blogger, Heather from Sweetly Raw, who was in Calgary and it was awesome to connect in person.

I also teamed up with Sam from Sugar & Sam Blog and collaborated in the kitchen on this latest recipe, Almond Butter Squares.

I’m so excited for May because I’m headed to one of my very favourite places in Ontario, Prince Edward County for a food photography course and I can’t wait to share with you my food adventures from this trip!

Until the next cooking adventure,
Jess

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