this is a page for
Category: Recipes
Last night I made an experimental macaroni and cheese that I just have to share with you. This recipe’s creation was based on what I had available. The adage ‘necessity is the mother of invention’ seems to apply here and I believe this scenario happens to everyone that cooks at some point. The key element here is the cheese sauce. I substituted sour cream and water for the milk and used creamy havarti and fontina cheeses. For seasonings, I added herbs de provence along with ground mustard and white pepper. This combination produced a creamy, slightly sour, slightly nutty and subtly herbal cheese sauce – unique and delicious. Topped with browned panko crumbs and baked until bubbly, this is a macaroni and cheese you…
Here is another Italian restaurant staple – pasta puttanseca. This dish’s claim to fame is its pungency and how that relates to its origin – i.e. puttanesca meaning ‘from the prostitutes’ or ‘in the style of the prostitutes’. It is rumored that the dish was favored by Italian prostitutes to keep their clients from trying to kiss them. A girl’s got to have some boundaries right? Well upon further research, it seems there is little written documentation about this dish prior to the middle of the 20th century. Which means pasta puttanesca may have been a simple dish made only at home and not seen as restaurant fare (or fare an upstanding diner would want to be seen eating…
There are several recipes for this cocktail floating around the web, basically divided into two styles – include orange liqueur or not. The real keys to this negroni-like cocktail are in the style of gin used. This cocktail calls for Old Tom gin – a slightly sweeter variation. I find the difference between Old Tom and Dry gin as being more floral and subtly herbaceous compared to the juniper forward dry gins that have staunch herbal notes to hold up to the ‘pine’ flavor of juniper. Based on that description of Old Tom gin, I tested this cocktail first with Citadelle gin and I really liked it. So I sought out a true Old Tom gin and tested it again. The results: wonderful, simply wonderful…
Have you ever just had appetizers for dinner? You know what I am talking about. Those evenings you are out with a group, maybe it started as a happy hour meet-up, and with the drinks you order some appetizers, some others order some and it becomes a shared meal. After sampling and maybe even ordering more, you just don’t feel like eating a full meal. Tonight was that night for me, except I was at home. I just wanted a few appetizers for dinner, especially a tapenade with some fresh from the bakery bread. Of course, tapenade does not a meal make, so I added a mini Caprese salad and some sliced dry salami and soppressata. Hey… I used what I had available and…
Here is a delightful variant to my earlier Balsamic Cherry Yogurt Sorbet recipe. I had a yen for a light, slightly tart, slightly sweet dessert with this recent string of 90 degree days. And what’s easier than spinning some fruit, sugar and yogurt together, sticking it into a freezer to be scooped later at leisure. As a matter of fact, the toughest part of this recipe is the planning ahead so you can enjoy this delicious dessert when desired. Save Print Lemon Blueberry Yogurt Sorbet Prep time: 5 hours Total time: 5 hours Serves: 16 Ingredients 32 oz whole milk yogurt 7 oz sugar 3 oz blueberries zest and juice from 1 large lemon 2 tbsp lemon zest (zest from 1 large…
With the current heatwave here in the Pacific Northwest, I wanted today’s cocktail to represent something tropical. I could have gone with Hawaii and it’s popular Mai-Tai, the Caribbean with a Dark and Stormy, but my search ended a bit farther south. Let’s celebrate Brazil’s national cocktail – the caipirinha. Made with Brazil’s popular sugar cane based distillate, cachaça, limes, and sugar; this cocktail is refreshing on a hot Summer day or warm Summer evening. Easy to make and refreshing to drink, this cocktail is one of my favorite choices to serve when friends drop by for a visit. This drink also pairs well with barbecue or grilled dishes, meaning it can be enjoyed right through…
Tonight I made a dish found at nearly every Italian restaurant I can ever recall visiting. It is a simple, yet delicious scallopini style dish featuring Marsala wine as the primary ingredient in the sauce. If you do any research on this dish, you will find the variations for this recipe are widespread. Typical variations start with whether to use dry or sweet Marsala. Next there is the whole ‘should I include cream or not’ debate. And let’s not even begin the discussion on whether the chicken should be dredged in flour or not. So, after a lot of reading and contemplating on how I have made this dish in the past, I created this recipe as a compilation of what I learned through…
Here is a perfect Summer dish – a Vietnamese-style Noodle Bowl with Chicken. Herbs like mint and cilantro bring a freshness while lime brings brightness, chili brings heat, carrot sweetness, and the dressing tons of flavor to support it all. And let’s not forget the chicken; cooked in oyster and hoisin sauces before grilling or searing to add even more flavor. You have to agree there is a lot of flavor in this meal. Go ahead and take the challenge by making this dish. The lengthy recipe is not difficult and the results are spectacular! Save Print Vietnamese-Style Chicken Noodle Bowl Prep time: 20 mins Cook time: 2 hours 10 mins Total time: 2 hours 30 mins Serves: 1  …
“If you like piña coladas, this recipe will save you some pain. If you desire something tropical with flavors exciting to your brain.” Ok, that’s enough mocking of the lyrics of the song (or trying to), let’s get down to the business of making a tasty piña colada. This recipe and the process is adapted from Serious Eats that delivers a balanced cocktail without the artificial flavors that pre-mix or other recipes deliver. The keys to this recipe are fresh and natural ingredients pre-frozen to minimize the amount of ice needed to make a slushy drink. This easy drinking cocktail is perfect for relaxing on a warm Summer day (or evening), soothing and melting away your worries and…
Summer has arrived here in the Pacific Northwest and it is time to enjoy the grill as much as possible. Tonight I want to enjoy the grill with a quick dish – grilled prawns. I bet there will be more time spent preparing the prawns than actually grilling them. But that is OK… because when a dish is quick and incredibly delicious, it does not have to take a large investment of time. I paired this dish with Sesame Asparagus Salad and white rice. Simple, delicious and easily extensible from one diner to a group, what’s not to love here? Give this recipe a try, you won’t be disappointed! Save Print Sweet Chili Grilled Prawns Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: …