Succotash is a hot bean and corn dish that was  popular during the Great Depression because of the ingredients were more readily available than most other foods and relatively less expensive. I’m not a fan of traditional succotash… but turn it into a cold salad with basil dressing, and I’m all in!

[Read more →]

We’re going to use the first portion of the roasted vegetables from yesterday’s post in this recipe. You will need to estimate and set aside 1/4 of the yield from each vegetable, keeping them separated. Then make a tart crust (or you could just use 1 sheet of puff pastry).  I link you to a tart dough recipe here on the blog. You’ll only need half of it, but go ahead and make the full amount. You will love this tart and you’ll want to make it again, I promise! So make the full amount and freeze the other half of the dough and it’ll be even easier to make the next time.

I served the tart at a dinner party atop baby greens that were lightly coated with this vinaigrette,  but straight up is great too.

P.S. I’m just sorry that I served it on this bright peppermint stripe platter (hey, it was still the Christmas season) because it totally distracts from how bright and colorful the tart is. Go back up and see the top photo for proof of that!

[Read more →]

Last night was the first time I’ve cooked any sort of food for Dave and myself… in… let’s see… 11 days. Unbelievable! I think that is the longest stretch of “no-cook” time for me since back in 2008 when we were traveling through France and Italy with the kids. But, I’m back and the recipes will again be flowing, thanks for hanging in there with me through the trip to Sedona, the foot injury, and birthdays. :-D

On Wednesday, my dad took me to True Food Kitchen at Scottsdale Quarter for my birthday lunch. I usually order the light and luscious Edamame Dumplings, or their delicious Herb Hummus, or the fabulous Wild Ahi Sliders… but this time I decided to try the Mediterranean Chopped Salad. Good choice! Actually, I’ve never had anything I didn’t enjoy from the menu. The photo at the top is the True Food salad – taken with my new iPhone 4s, which I LOVE!  Once I got home, I just had to recreate it for Dave.  He, of course, loved it… and you will too.

[Read more →]

This is the recipe using smoked salmon that I told you about a couple days ago, the one I found in an old Gourmet Magazine and wanted to try for my smoked salmon-loving husband.  It is a winner!!! Perfect for picnics, tailgating, or lunch brown-bagging.

If you made the Brussels sprout salad from yesterday’s post, then you have extra mustard vinaigrette leftover… use 1/4 cup of that and just stir in the shallot listed here… then skip making the vinaigrette in this recipe, and you are ready to rock and roll.

[Read more →]

If you have ever eaten at Chelsea’s Kitchen, here in Phoenix, then you have most likely enjoyed or watched someone else enjoy the out-of-this-world Brussels sprout salad.  The only thing I can’t get over is the price… $14 for a salad seems a tad pricey. Luckily this delicious salad is easy to make at home for just pennies on the restaurant dollar.

And this mustard vinaigrette… one of the best and most versatile vinaigrettes you will ever make. So although you don’t use even half of it for this salad, you are going to want to use it on salads from here on out!

[Read more →]

Since today is Saturday, I am back to being plain old Linda, instead of Juror #7. But on Wednesday morning, after arriving in the jury room with my fellow jurors, the bailiff entered and requested that Juror #7 come with her to the Judge’s chambers. I am sure the remaining 8 thought I was in trouble, but I knew what it was about. Of course, I still can’t tell you, but stay tuned, I’m certain that you will find it quite entertaining.

What I find entertaining is how each time we (The Jury) enter and exit the courtroom, all remaining people in the room are told to “rise for The Jury.”  Like we are royalty or something. The 9 of us, who are being paid $12 a day (plus mileage) get the royal treatment.  You know what I would honestly appreciate so much more? If each person in the room would just put a dollar or two on each or our chairs every time we enter or exit. That would be preferred to having them stand, and it would more double our compensation. I’m considering making that request… On second thought, that might result in me being called into the Judge’s chambers again, and this time I would be in trouble, probably for contempt.  I’ll keep that suggestion to myself, for now at least.

For you, today, I have a delicious partially roasted and partially fresh cherry tomato and fennel salad using the fennel frond pesto from yesterday. I hope you enjoy the salad and the long holiday weekend.

[Read more →]

I am just getting around to using up the remaining radicchio and Napa cabbage from this post. And I’ll be using a favorite dressing that I’ve already told you about as well, so use the link in the ingredient list for the dressing recipe. I used a portion of the greens already for fish tacos and I’ll share that recipe in a few days. Not much more to say, time is short, so I am just happy to get dinner on the table and have time to post the recipe and keep the streak alive… 71 and counting.

[Read more →]

Tonight is the big Cookbook Happy Hour. In the next week, I’ll post recipes for the drinks and appetizers we enjoyed; including drink recipes for those infused vodkas I made at the end of July.  Now a little rundown of the blog birthday official numbers…

2 years
730 days
668 posts
577 recipes
1,508 comments (Thank YOU!)
11,876 spam (what the heck?!?)

Enough reflection – time for a recipe #578.

[Read more →]

Last Monday morning, after Marissa had left for work and I returned back to her apartment from taking Dave to the airport, I sat down to eat lunch. It consisted of a boxed salad I’d picked up at Trader Joe’s the day before. My plan was to eat half of it and save the remaining half for lunch on Tuesday; that didn’t happen. I scarfed down the entire tasty thing.  Monday night, when Marissa came home from work, we jumped in her car and headed back to Trader Joe’s to do her “big” grocery run.  She would finally have stocked shelves, refrigerator, freezer, and wine rack and could stop eating like like a “third grader with a drinking problem.” Instead she is now a young woman with healthy choices and plenty of nice wine to accompany her adult meals. (Did you know that in California “Two Buck Chuck” is actually two bucks, well actually $1.99?  Not that the $2.99 we pay in AZ is a bad deal, but I always wondered why it was called “Two Buck” when it really cost three bucks… now I know.)

[Read more →]

Today we’ll use two more of the 10 “cheap super-foods” I introduced you to on Sunday; sweet potato and mango.  I’ll leave it up to you on how to use the remaining “everyday” five; low-fat milk, eggs, oatmeal, black tea, and dried cranberries.  Although, tossing a few “craisins” on top of this salad, wouldn’t be such a bad idea.  And… you could pump it up a bit more by serving this color-packed salad on a bed of very thinly sliced fresh kale. That would give you four of the ten “supers” in your supper.

PLUS, Happy Birthday to my dear friend and mentor, Barbara Pool Fenzl! Can’t wait to celebrate a week from today. Until then, have a lovely birthday week. I love you and adore you! xoxo

[Read more →]