tomatoes and figs
Peggy and I finally celebrated Anne’s June birthday on Wednesday night. I made a salmon bowl for the main course (recipe coming soon) and a Caprese-Fig Toast for the appetizer. It was inspired by the black Mission figs from the 5 trees in my own backyard and the green Kadota figs I found at Trader Joe’s. If you hurry, you’ll find both varieties at Trader Joe’s right now.
Fig-Caprese Toasts
- 4 ripe tomatoes, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
- 1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, chiffonade, more for garnish
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic reduction, more for drizzling
- 1 baguette
- 1 package burrata, balls drained and sliced
- Ripe black Mission and green Kodata figs, sliced lengthwise
August 25, 2023 3 Comments
More recipes tried in Chicago
I was visiting Max and his parents in Chicago at the end of last month and tried a few new recipes for Mom and Dad, aka Marissa & Jeff.
This first one was from the Half Baked Harvest blog. It could not have been quicker or easier. Also, delicious, so I’ll be making it again and adding in diced chicken breast or thighs for added protein.
Oh, and May the 4th be with you!
[Read more →]May 4, 2023 No Comments
My new favorite recipe
One thing about me, with the exception of holidays, I rarely make a recipe twice, let alone 3 times in the span of a few weeks! This recipe is now a family favorite. I don’t know exactly what it is. Maybe it’s the fact that I don’t often use ground chicken. Ground turkey, all the time, so I may be a bit sick of ground turkey. Ground chicken seems to taste milder to me. It carries other flavors better. I don’t know, I’m just all about ground chicken right now. Then there’s the richness of the dish; cream cheese, Parmesan, mozzarella, pesto; all the good stuff! Give this a try and let me know if it becomes a part of your meal rotation.
[Read more →]March 28, 2023 2 Comments
perfect grilled burger
This recipe goes along with this Tuesday’s Tip for the perfect burger. (Next Tuesday’s Tip will be more grilling tips. Have to keep a good theme going!) Many professional chefs and home cooks agree that Worcestershire sauce is key to a great burger. This is because Worcestershire sauce is effectively an ancient fish sauce (it contains fermented anchovies), so it adds a sort of interesting depth of flavor or that perfect umami that enhances the basic burger to a true classic burger.
[Read more →]September 8, 2022 No Comments
one skillet meal
Is there anything better than only using one pot or pan to make an entire meal? I think not. I made this for our Cinco de Mayo buffet.
I’m using a couple of my favorite seasoning blends from Trader Joe’s. Don’t worry if you don’t have them, there are suggested substitutions you can use instead.
One Skillet Mexican Beef, Bean, and Rice Casserole
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion, peeled and diced
- 1 red, orange or yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced
- 1 small jalapeño, cored, seeded and minced
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
- 1 teaspoon Trader Joe’s Chile Lime Seasoning Blend (or chili powder)
- 1 teaspoon Trader Joe’s Everything but the Elote Seasoning Blend (or ground cumin)
- 1 cup white rice
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 can refried black beans
- 1 can pinto beans, with liquid
- 1 can Ro*Tel diced tomatoes with green chilies, with juices
- 1 cup frozen (thawed) corn kernels
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- Garnish suggestions: thinly sliced green onions, diced red onion, shredded lettuce, sliced mini peppers, sour cream, salsa, etc.
Heat a large skillet and add the oil, when oil is hot add the onion, bell pepper, jalapeño and garlic and sauté until the onion is soft and translucent.
Add the ground beef and cook until the beef is browned, stir in the taco seasoning and the two Trader Joe’s seasoning blends.
[Read more →]May 7, 2020 No Comments
Lisa’s Pepper Pasta
My former neighbor and dear friend, Lisa James, and I meet up to walk several mornings a week. On the mornings we don’t walk, Lisa teaches spin class at the YMCA. The Y closed several weeks ago and since then, we walk every morning. For years, I’ve heard about Lisa’s Pepper Pasta. It is one of her family’s most requested recipes. One morning last week, she mentioned that she had made it the night before. Finally, I asked her if she would share the recipe. She did one better and gave me the recipe and a container of leftovers to try.
I had it that same evening for dinner and I can see why her family loves it so much. When I went to the store to buy the Italian sausage and canned tomatoes, the store was out of canned tomatoes.
So I decided to make it with what I had in my freezer, shredded chicken and roasted cherry tomatoes. Below is my “use what you have” take on Lisa’s recipe. To make Lisa’s original version, switch out the chicken for sweet or hot Italian sausage and cook the sausage in the skillet first and use a 32 to 35-ounce can of plum tomatoes in place of the roasted cherry tomatoes. Also, you may not need the reserved pasta water for the original, since you will have the juice from the canned tomatoes. But it never hurts to reserve a little pasta water for any pasta recipe, just in case you need it.
[Read more →]April 7, 2020 1 Comment
grilling cheese
*An update on my knee situation is at the bottom of the post. Many thanks for all of your emails, comments
As with anything new in life, there come new challenges, good or bad. The not too terrible challenge I have found with my new business, Harmony Boards, is having so much more cheeses, meats, fruits and vegetables to keep track of and prevent from over-ripening or going completely south.
Such was the inspiration for this recipe. I stay on top of the meats and cheeses since they represent the largest expenses. When buying, I look at each “sell” or “use by” date and calculate how much I have on hand and do my best not to overbuy.
The fruits and veggies present issues all their own. We’ve all experienced the joy of buying lovely-looking raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries and the anguish of having them turn on you in a matter of days. Sometimes, literally the next day! I have become basically terrified of berries. With so much energy focused on them, I sometimes lose track of the other
While you might think I’d have no interest in purchasing a different cheese than what I use on Harmony Boards, you’d be wrong. I love Halloumi cheese and knew it would pair perfectly with the pork and plums. Halloumi is a uniquely perfect cheese for grilling. It’s made with sheep’s milk on the Greek island of Cyprus. It has a high melting point so it can easily be fried or grilled. I went to my local grocery store in search of Halloumi but wound up with something else instead. I discovered a similar grilling cheese called Juusto. It is made in Wisconsin in the way that Juustoleipä, also known as bread cheese, has been made in Finland for more than 200 years.
Here is an article all about the cheeses from Bon Appétit to learn more. I am also using crushed Aleppo peppers on my finished dish. If you missed my mention of them previously, HERE is a link to that.
Oh, I almost forgot, I use Mama Mai’s S&P to season everything in this recipe. Honestly, most of the time, I use it to season everything, but I end up just writing “Salt and freshly ground black pepper” in my recipes. It is easier and universal to write that, but now you know the truth … I use Tram’s mama’s seasoning because I love it!
[Read more →]April 10, 2019 13 Comments
Medley Mash
There are root vegetables that not only have I never cooked before, but I’ve also never tasted before. Shocking, I know.
Two examples are rutabagas and turnips. I have never had them or felt the need to have them either. But when I was given a bag of each, well, I wasn’t going to throw them away.
One of the visiting instructors at Les Gourmettes Cooking School had a family emergency and needed to reschedule her classes. It happens, no problem, except that owner, Barbara Fenzl, had already purchased all the groceries. I was the lucky recipient of the produce. I was excited and especially grateful for the watermelon radishes, broccolini and beets because I use those on the Crudités Harmony Boards. I was still grateful but much less excited with the rutabagas, turnips, and parsnips.
As far as root vegetables go, I prefer to stick to potatoes and radishes. I don’t’ like carrots and despise beets. Parsnips are okay, but the rest I happily pass by. So I decided to treat the trio as I do potatoes. I peeled, chopped, boiled, and mashed them. Then seasoned them up and spooned them in a casserole, baked, and then finished it off with some cheese on top.
I’ve eaten the resulting dish for two nights in a row with sliced tomatoes and basil and you know what? Not bad, not bad at all!
If you don’t own a hand masher, you should get yourself one, while you’re at be sure it is a double-action masher, here’s a Link.
[Read more →]March 20, 2019 3 Comments
street corn
Mexican Street Corn was another of the side dishes for Chanté and Cody’s wedding in the woods over Mother’s Day weekend.
July 3, 2018 No Comments
easy cheesy
Easy Cheesy Refried Black Beans
- 2 cups refried black beans
- 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
- 1/3 cup prepared salsa
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup grated Monterey Jack
- 1/4 cup diced red onion, garnish
- 1/4 cup diced tomato, garnish
- 1 minced jalapeño, garnish
- 1/4 cup roughly chopped cilantro, garnish
June 29, 2018 No Comments