Last year there was three of us for Thanksgiving. Depressing, even though I loved my company! Thanksgiving to me is about groaning boards of food and lots of people with which to share. Since that wasn’t happening, I did want to make Thanksgivng special for our little crowd, so I upped the degree of difficulty with my turkey and created this roulade, or stuffed rolled turkey breast, as the centerpiece of our fest for three. It was a feast for the eyes and the tastebuds as well.
Read MoreThe end of summer comes way too soon, and with autumn upon us, it's time to pick the last of, well, everything from the garden. This results in a LOT of red and green tomatoes of several different varieties. Time to make salsa.
Read MoreI have four bananas that are close to checking out so we are making banana bread today. My sister makes the best banana bread but she works for a living so instead of calling her for her recipe I am gonna figure it out. I look at a few recipes online and mald a few together. Then I spill way too much cinnamon in it and it works. Here we go.
Read MoreI love a summer salad in the refrigerator, it is the gift that keeps on giving. Make it once, have it for days. I have posted recipes for rice salad, orzo salad, pasta salad and potato salad. Today we are doing a crunchy couscous salad and I am using everything I have in my own refrigerator and pantry. Waste not, want not.
Read MoreIt's time to clean out the refrigerator, lots of little odds and ends in there, and in these times especially, I am not about wasting food. The first thing I see is ground pork and some veggies that are needing to be used. Hmmm... what will it be? Meatloaf? Meatballs? A quick web search on "ground pork recipes" comes up with more than a few for stir fry. This sounds perfect!
Read MoreIt seems we all are baking these days because otherwise we'd kill each other, so here is a cookie recipe that will make your people happy. It makes about 3 dozen cookies. Bake what you want or need for the week, then freeze the portioned cookie dough balls to bake another day. Or month. They're kind of delicious, you might want to double up. And don't forget to leave care packages for the people in your life you can't see as much as you'd like to right now. #frontporchdropoff
Read MoreLast Easter I was looking for a spring-like appetizer that didn't require a lot of effort (I'm talking to you, deviled eggs!). So I delegated the deviled eggs to a guest and came across this easy and delicious Asparagus Tart. I pretty much used the Food Network recipe here, nothing to improve upon. Next time I make it I will trim the puff pastry up neater.
Read MoreI've been cooking from the pantry these days, like everybody else, and made a delicious Black Eyed Pea and Ham dish, but it needs a side. I have cornmeal and a few simple ingredients to work with. We're making cornbread.
Read MoreJust like everybody, we are well into social distancing due to the COVID 19 pandemic. We've stocked our pantry with the usuals - rice, beans, pasta, jarred and canned goods, spices, baking supplies, etc., plus the refrigerator and freezer are pulling their own weight. I had picked up a small bone-in ham, since it's the gift that keeps on giving, but could find only one kind of dried bean on the shelf - black eyed peas. Never used them, but I'm gonna now. A bean is a pea is a bean, right?
Read MoreI don't know how I got this lucky, but a beautiful Greek woman is coming to my house to make her mom's spanakopita recipe today for our family holiday party tomorrow. Spanakopita is a delicious spinach pie and I'm gonna share the recipe with you, because Merry Christmas.
Read MoreAnd now, for my last recipe in the Thanksgiving extravaganza -- the turkey! Centerpiece of the whole event - besides me, of course. I read a lot of recipes and techniques, but I do this pretty close to the way I've always done it, with a few tweaks here and there.
Read MoreStuffing - or dressing, as I am not stuffing anything but myself this year - is one of the big three dishes for Thanksgiving. Four, if you count the gravy. Great turkey, mashed potatoes, dressing and gravy can make up for a multitude of sins. So here is a recipe full of toasty bread, sausage, wild rice, cranberries, apples, veggies and savory herbs. It cooks at about the same time and temp as your mashed potato casserole (link above), which creates a lot of efficiency during the hectic part of the day when you're trying to get food on the table.
Read MoreI love this dish, as you can make mashed potatoes in advance and then bake them off at the last minute -- no mashing while trying to get everything on the table. Stress-buster! These are basically twice baked potatoes without the skins. I make a huge dish of these regardless of how many people are coming.
Technically, it is still summer and not fall, but I deem this chicken wing season. The NFL is in full swing so it is time to eat wings. This is one recipe that will give you three types of wings. Can't beat it. This could feed a lot of people, however I had 5 pieces, Bob had 8 and Dave had 22. Normally, this could feed a crowd.
Read MoreThis is hands-down my favorite side dish, and as a matter of fact, if I had to eat one thing every day to survive, this would be it and I would never get sick of it. It is another dish from one of my go-to cookbooks, The Global Vegetarian, but of course, I mix it all up and make it my own. For example, there is no corn in the original recipe. I am a pain that way. But I believe the dish is better for my interference.
Read MoreI almost did not share this one because it's personal, and oh so good, but I had to. Let it never be said that I am not a sharing person. There are (9) ingredients that come together quickly with such a perfect result! It's good for breakfast, tea, coffee, dessert, etc. Bring it to a party, the people will love it.
Read MoreI love swordfish, and living in New England, we have access to some amazing Atlantic Swordfish. I happen to have a source for fish locally, and they do their best to procure sustainable seafood, so I use them all the time. Their quality is second to none. Today we're firing up the grill, and this recipe involves 6 ingredients. Could not be simpler.
Read MoreI get inspiration from a lot of places, and one of my favorite cookbooks is “The Global Vegetarian: Adventures in a Meatless Kitchen”. I am in no way a vegetarian, but the recipes in this book from soups to salads to appetizers and more are just plain yummy. Feel free to serve them with a big hunk of meat. Or not.
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