Category — Recipes

This is the final recipe from my Red, White & Blue holiday cooking class at Les Gourmettes. The summer provides three excellent chances to get together to celebrate our country; Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day. Invite friends over and enjoy!

Image via Country Living

The ingredient list for this chicken dish is lengthy, but please don’t let that scare you off. The marinade keeps the chicken juicy and is put together the night before.

The grill only needs to be manned for a few minutes, since the chicken is only “marked” on it… it is cooked through in the oven. This is a serious plus in Phoenix! The hottest 4th of July on record happened in 1989 when it reached 118°F. Manning a grill in that heat – no thank you! But if you live in a more moderate climate and you’d prefer to use the grill to cook the chicken through, that works too.

The BBQ sauce is sweet and tangy and is equally delicious used with shrimp, beef, or pork. It is an absolute delight.

I doubled the recipe for class, so you’ll notice I had to use two zip-lock bags to marinate in – the single recipe needs only one.

Image via Country Living

Patriot Picnic Menu

Barbecued Chicken with Blueberry Bourbon Sauce
Succotash Salad with Creamy Basil Dressing
Creamy Dijon & Dill Potato Salad
Root Beer Baked Beans
Red, White, & Blue Trifle

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This potato salad was the second side to my patriot menu. The entrée and full menu will follow, tomorrow.

Creamy Dijon & Dill Potato Salad

3 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and left whole
Kosher salt
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon whole-grain Dijon mustard
1 small red onion, peeled and diced
3 celery stalks, diced
1/3 cup tightly packed chopped fresh dill
Freshly ground black pepper

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Another recipe from the Red, White, & Blue Menu that I taught the last night of classes at Les Gourmettes Cooking School. Again, no step by step photos … now worries, they are not needed.

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This is the dessert I made for the last class of my 3-week cooking series at Les Gourmettes Cooking School. The semester ended last night – it is officially summer for me. No more classes until September.

Since I made this during class, I don’t have any step-by-step photos for you, but the recipe is straight forward.

This is the perfect dessert for Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, or honestly for any day of the week this summer. Enjoy!

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I have a recipe update for the Easy Mac & Cheese topped with Beef Short Rib Ragù which I posted in September of last year.

I happen to know that this is my friend and neighbor, Cindi Hancock’s, favorite recipe from this site. She and I often commiserate about, and then update each other on, the availability status of the prepared short ribs at Costco.

This is the product that Costco sold last September. Then, suddenly, it wasn’t available… right when Cindi was planning to make the dish for a dinner party. We were bummed.

I’d search for the ribs on my weekly Costco runs.

After few months of disappointment, I found that prepared short ribs were once again available at Costco. I sent Cindi a text while I was there, telling her of the good news. I purchased a package and tossed it into my freezer.

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My Mother’s Day menu was featured in yesterday’s Food & Drink section of the Arizona Republic.

Here are photos and links to the recipes.

Layered Lemon-Berry Angel Cake

Mixed Berry Parfait

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I made this pretty and festive punch to take to a Cinco de Mayo party last Sunday. Needless to say, it was a hit! So much so, that it ran out before the party was over. At that point, we were just pulling the pineapple rings out of the jar and eating them. I brought home the rest and poured light rum into the jar. I’ll now have the bonus of pineapple infused rum… in a couple weeks. Two for one – Gotta love that!

The recipe makes a huge batch – but it can easily be cut in half. I also doubled the simple syrup and plan to use it for mojitos over Mother’s Day weekend.

My excuse? Seriously, something has to be done with all the mint in my garden … before it chokes out everything else!

Plus, I saved the mint leaves used in the simple syrup. I’m trying my hand at sugaring the leaves … and making mint flavored sugar at the same time. I’ll keep you posted on how that works out.

So much going on from just one punch recipe!

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One of the things you’ll usually find in my refrigerator is caramelized onions, sometimes called onion jam.

I use them in roasted meats, savory tarts, gravy, sandwiches, quiche, soups, appetizers, on pizzas, you name it!

The process of cooking the onions is slow, but crucial to achieve that soft, tender, sweet caramelized taste. On the plus side, they can be made days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator or even frozen.

Considered the crown jewel of dates, Medjool are prized for their large size, extraordinary sweetness and chewy texture. They were once reserved for Moroccan royalty and their guests.

Put the sweet onions together with the sweet dates, wrap them in bacon, and you have perfection! Serve these to your family and guests and thank me later.

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When Chef Beau MacMillan was teaching at Les Gourmettes last week, Duncan Family Farms sent over a huge box of squash blossoms.

The lucky students received the added bonus of Barbara Fenzl’s delicious Squash Blossom Quesadillas at the start of the class.

Once again, I was on the happy receiving end of a basket full of goodies! I brought them home and made Ricotta Stuffed Squash Blossoms, intending to share the recipe here.

Then I discovered that I’ve already posted the recipe, nearly to the day, two years ago. CLICK HERE to see.

Of course, with that many squash blossoms, I also had to make Barb’s fabulous and super easy quesadillas!

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These shrimp are not only perfect for Cinco de Mayo but equally so for a quick weeknight meal or a big party.

We’re looking forward to going to the James’ annual Cinco de Mayo party tonight! See you soon, Lisa! Eieieiei Ariba!

Guajillo [gwah-HEE-yoh] chiles are dried peppers with a bright tangy taste and kick of heat. Find them in the grocery store alongside the other Hispanic ingredients.

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