"Glass is different things to different people. At the Corning Museum of Glass, you will discover the many things glass can be."

The other day, we made a trip to the Corning Museum of Glass, about an hour and a half away. An amazing place - beauty and education at every turn. We were accompanied by young, visiting family - a wonderful way to explore what the museum has to offer. They even got to try their hands at making something of their own! I would love to return sometime however, on my own - and with my good camera. In the meantime, I think that the shots below give you an idea of what a fascinating place this is to visit!

"I always use my 'Holy Trinity' which is salt, olive oil and bacon. My motto is, 'bacon always makes it better.' I try to use bacon and pork products whenever I can." ~ Anne Burrell

I was running through possible recipes for our Father's Day dinner the other day. I had two pork tenderloins in the freezer - a buy one, get one deal. I had determined that pork was on the menu and had also decided to use a recipe that a friend had forwarded. The day before however, I received a recipe in e-mail from bon appetit that looked and sounded wonderful. I ran it past Hannah, who was in town with Alex for a wedding, and showed her the accompanying photo - it was agreed - we would try this recipe - wrapped in bacon!

Weeknight Porchetta contains an amazing assortment of ingredients - olive oil; rosemary; garlic (lots of garlic) and fennel seeds - all patted into and around the tenderloin. Then - wrapped in bacon!

Since I was making two, and I wanted them to cook the same, I ended up cooking them both in disposable aluminum pans rather than two differently sized ones that I had on hand. The end result was beautiful; very, very moist; and very very tasty. I have to agree with Bruce however, the meat did end up tasting a bit like ham. If you are not a ham fan (he can take it or leave it) this might not be a dish for you. I thought it was wonderful - and beautiful!

Another lovely dinner surrounded by family - it doesn't get any better!

"Taste every fruit of every tree in the garden at least once. It is an insult to creation not to experience it fully. Temperance is wickedness." ~ Stephen Fry

Time again for another BITE post! This time around, Ellen chose "fruit". What a perfect time of year to have this as a theme - things are ripening up, and the stores are filling up with fresh fruit.

To get us started, Chris made Mango Berry Salsa. To accompany that, she also made Watermelon and Goat Cheese Appetizer. Delicious - and tart with the goat cheese. The salsa was excellent with chips.

For a side-dish, I cooked up Cantaloupe, Cucumber and Cashew Noodle Salad. I had vacillated between this recipe and one that used quinoa. I do wish that I had gone with the other one. The noodle salad was not bad by any means, but it seemed a  bit uninspired to me. Wonderful ingredients - things like cashew butter and Asian chili sauce. The end result just didn't do much for me.

Ellen's main dish was Cilantro-Lime Grilled Chicken with Strawberry-Jalapeno Salsa. Wonderful. The berries and jalapenos together added terrifically fresh flavor to the chicken.

Closing out our evening was Tierney's dessert of Mixed Berry Pavlova and Lemon Curd. Oh my word - this was so delicious. The lemon curd mixed in with the whipped cream was an amazing combination. And - it was so beautiful!

A wonderful evening - once again! Next month it is my turn to host, and I have selected "sweet corn" as our theme. We have wonderful sweet corn here in Central New York - can't wait!