Pickles

While I'm sure you've enjoyed many chicken breast sandwiches, have you ever eaten one with the other white meat? I suggest you do so tonight! This recipe is quick and delicious. Instead of simply placing a slice of cheese and a pickle on top of the boneless pork chop, the cheese and pickle are stuffed into the meat. Don't be afraid to get creative with this sandwich; substitute arugula for lettuce or caramelized onions for the tomatoes. If you're interested in this satisfying Friday night meal, get the recipe after the jump.

In the Winter, I always love to invite my friends over for a cookie swap or edible gift-making party. However, I've never done something like this during the warmer months — until now. Inspired by a new Williams-Sonoma book, The Art of Preserving, I'm hosting a canning party and I suggest you do the same. First select a date — preferably a relaxed time, like Sunday afternoon — then decide what you want to make at the event. Throw in some homemade snacks and you've got yourself a fabulous little party. At mine, I'll offer guests two nibbles in the form of a white bean dip with parsley oil and an oven-dried tomato tart with goat cheese and black olives.

What will we be making? Peach-rosemary jam and classic dill pickles! If this sounds like fun to you, check out these recipes, after the break.

The crafty and clever ladies over at Norwegian site Pickles have created a super cute holiday wreath using felted balls. They write, "We like it so much, that we're considering to leave it in the living room after x-mas is over." And if they did, who could blame them? I love the colors and bumpy, spherical shape of the wreath. You can learn how to make your own felted ball wreath on Pickles's site.

Have you crafted your own wreath this year? Or have you bought an evergreen wreath?

Remember when I told you about the Puff Daddy? This DIY version of DWR's spendy Flocks Pouf ($800) is now within price range of all patient knitters, thanks to directions from Heidi and Anna at Norwegian craft and decorating site Pickles.

Heidi and Anna offer free patterns for knitting, crocheting, and sewing, as well as a bunch of other craft projects on their site, with Norwegian (as well as English) directions. And now, to add to the family of pretty poufs, the Puff Daddy is joined by its partner, the Puff Mama. You can get all of the directions for making this new knit pouf here, as well as buy yarn through Pickles's site.

When it comes to panzanella — the classic Italian bread salad with tomatoes — I love every variation. While I've made it with heirloom tomatoes and arugula, I've never had the filling warm-weather dish with tuna and white beans.

But thanks to this recipe, I plan on doing so tonight! What's not to love about chunky tuna, crispy oil-saturated bread, and tangy pickles? The cannellini beans ensure that this salad is hearty enough to stand alone.

Check out the recipe when you read more