Whenever we take “driving vacations” I always try to talk Hubby into letting me bring things from home that I feel are necessary, he does not. Things like my professional knives (hey, they have a carrying bag), or better yet a crock pot. Just think of all the meals that can be made in a crock pot. We can be out all day exploring, come back to the hotel and have a home-cooked meal.
Continue reading “Balsamic Pot Roast with Pearl Onions and Red Potatoes”
Welcome to Florence – Oregon that is! For the next few days, this is home. When in Florence, we love to stay at the Driftwood Resort. No matter the room, all have ocean views. The beach is just steps away. And every room comes with a fully-stocked kitchen.
This recipe had me at Reduction Sauce. Anytime a sauce is simmered and reduced, it becomes even more intensely flavored. By its very definition, Reduction is a process of thickening and intensifying the flavor of a liquid. This concentration of flavors is achieved through evaporation. I know, it sounds like a lot of scientific stuff, but what it all comes down to is flavor. Reduction sauces are bursting with flavor.
Continue reading “Peppercorn Filets with Mushroom Port Reduction Sauce”
If you are like me, when you cook up Spaghetti there are always leftovers to deal with. I’m not complaining – my guys get a few lunches out of what’s left. I like to make Spaghetti Meatball Sandwiches as a second meal. Of course that means I would have to make the spaghetti with meatballs rather than a meat sauce. Recently, I made a double batch of my Smoking Spaghetti with beer in the sauce. I needed plenty of leftovers for a new Stromboli recipe I was anxious to try.
This is now my second recipe that features Beurre Blanc. Literally translated, Beurre Blanc is French for “White Butter”. The very notion of white butter excites me. Unlike the Five Mother Sauces, Beurre Blanc is fairly new to the culinary world, an accidental creation of Clémence Lefeuvre some time around the beginning of the 20th century.
Continue reading “Bacon-Wrapped Pork with Sun-Dried Tomato and Basil Beurre Blanc”
I know what your are thinking – it’s the middle of July and this woman is talking soup! Has she lost her mind? July in California is usually sweltering. Hot, dry and oh so unpleasant unless you are on the water, or only come out of your climate-controlled habitat after sunset. For this very reason, the Event Industry tends to slow to a snail’s pace, which means down time for Hubby and Kiddo. It also means vacation time! This year, we will be returning to one of our our favorite place to explore – the beautiful Pacific Northwest.
Continue reading “Spicy Italian Sausage and White Bean Soup”
There are a lot of good reasons to plant a garden, even if it’s just a hanging patio garden. Working the soil is good for you. Eating what you have grown brings satisfaction unlike any other. Every year I look forward to our tomato plants for three reasons – freshness, goodness and full flavor. If you cannot grow tomatoes, please find a good small farm. Tomatoes that are allowed to ripen naturally, that have not been bred for shipping have a flavor unlike any other.
Continue reading “Grilled Grand Marnier Pepper Steak on a Bed of Tomatoes”
Way, way back in 1949 a man named Jim Knudson and his wife, Margaret, were served tacos for dinner at a friend’s home. What made this experience unique is that neither had eaten a taco before. Jim Knudson was experienced in the food industry and thought offering tacos to the American public was a good idea. After perfecting his recipe that included a dusting of canned Parmesan Cheese, Jim introduced the “Tayco” to the menu of his Grass Valley restaurant. Much to his surprise, customers were not enthusiastic about the new menu item. The taco was not a hit, but Jim Knudson was not about to give up.
Pan Sauce. So simple, so delicious. There’s something magical about pan sauce. Maybe it’s the kiss of wine or the meat renderings themselves. All I know is that I adore chicken with a nice pan sauce. One of our favorites was Chicken Breast with Tomato-Herb Pan Sauce. Yeah, it was good. This is even better.
Continue reading “Roasted Chicken Breast with Asparagus Pan Sauce”
What is Gazpacho? Why, thank you for asking. It’s a soup served cold. As a chilled soup, it is popular throughout Spain, particularly during the hot months of summer. Traditionally, gazpacho was made by pounding the vegetables in a mortar with a pestle. Today most of us use a blender or food processor rather than the laborious method of the past.
Not too long ago, I was cooking up an Italian favorite in our house, Chicken Marsala. On the menu with the chicken was the usual side, Italian Roasted Potatoes. Had I served this with a side of Sautéed Summer Squash, it would have been down right predictable. Can’t have that. Not in my kitchen. If the main dish isn’t new, at least one of the sides needs to be different.
Continue reading “Seasoned Broccoli Bursting with Color”Salads, for the most part, are suppose to be a healthy choice in the food selection. And that’s true, most of the time. This salad is not one of the healthier choices. Now it could be, if you were to make some changes to the recipe. Use light sour cream and light mayonnaise instead of the fully loaded variety when making the dressing. Omit the salt if on a low sodium diet. As for the salad itself, use turkey or a super lean ground beef. I prefer chuck because ground chuck just as better flavor, and that comes from its fat content.
Continue reading “Dorito Taco Salad with Jalapeno Ranch Dressing”
Hubby introduced me to the whole grilling up a Tri-Tip thing. Strange when you think about it because beautiful Santa Maria, California and not a small town in Wisconsin put Tri-Tip on the map in the first place. Or so it seems, depending upon which foodie folklore you subscribe to. Santa Maria, Oakland, Long Beach or Palm Springs. All these places claim to have put the grilled Tri-Tip on the culinary tongues of those who love barbecue. What do these places have in common? The golden state of California!
Hard to believe July is nearly half over. July, that sweltering month smack dab in the middle of summer. And summer means Vacations.
Summer means two things – road trips and picnics. Whenever possible I like to pack a picnic lunch before hitting the road. This is especially true for our long drives up to Oregon and Washington. With so much beauty along the way, it would be a shame to spend even a minute inside a roadside diner. Growing up we always packed our own foods for the road. I loved it then, and I love it today. The only difference is that today I’ve graduated from bologna sandwiches with stale potato chips to picnics with pzazz.
Continue reading “Make Ahead Picnic Wraps for the Open Road”
Welcome to Rosemarie's Kitchen 