This year we have planted our very first strawberry plants. I wish I could brag and say that the berries in this awesome recipe came from our garden. While we are producing beautiful berries, as soon as they ripen, my guys are out in the garden having a snack. Maybe next year, when the novelty of eating berries right off the plant has worn thin, I might get enough to really work with in the kitchen.
Continue reading “Strawberry Spinach Salad with Candied Walnuts”
I’ve noticed something while strolling through the meat section of our local markets that I find amusing. From the well-stocked chain stores, to the mega box stores and every kind of market in between that there is a new kind of chicken to be had in the meat section. It’s a Spatchcock chicken. Some have been rubbed with seasonings, others have slices of citrus tucked around them, while still others are draped in herbs such as Rosemary and Thyme. All are twice the price per pound of a regular whole chicken. I really don’t think that little sprig of herb or some spice or slices of citrus are worth the asking price. So it must be the chicken, right? After all, it’s a Spatchcock chicken – a special breed, right? It must be. This new bred of chicken has no backbone so as to spread out flat on a Styrofoam tray.
For those of you that have been following along for a while, this beautiful recipe might just seem familiar. Way back in July 2018, I shared with you two beautiful menus for Entertaining with an Italian Flare. Vesuvio Grilled Pork was part of the Secondo and Contorno Courses.
Hubby likes eating at a good steakhouse. You know the kind I’m talking about, with baskets of warm bread brought to the table while you decide which of a zillion different steak options you are in the mood for. The menus look like small phone books with page after page of dining choices. When the bread runs out, no worries because there are buckets upon buckets of roasted peanuts still in the shell to keep you occupied. Just crack ’em open, toss the shell on the floor and pop those addictive nuts into your mouth. I don’t know how it is in your family, but with mine we are so full of bread and nuts that the meal itself is an after thought. Maybe there should be a restaurant that serves only warm bread and peanuts in the shell. Oh wait, those are called saloons!
If this recipe seems familiar, you are right. Last year, they were part of my Father’s Day collection. This year I plan to include these fire-cracker potatoes as part of our Independence Day Celebration. These awesome, easy potato skewers are great with just about anything from your grill. It’s only natural that these potatoes step forward and take center stage. There are so many great barbecue recipes. A great side is just as important.
My hubby has the strangest sense of humor. Recently as we sat down to a fine, all from scratch Mexican supper, I made the comment that it was nice to spend time putter about in the kitchen. He smiled and replied “So that’s why you’re so good at miniature golf.” A silly man making a silly play on the word “puttering”.
Continue reading “Pork Carnitas with Cilantro Tomatillo Salsa and Hand-Pressed Tortillas”
Here is yet another awesome recipe plucked from a prior post, Entertaining with Italian Flair for your consideration. Now that Memorial Day is behind us and the grilling season is “officially” here, it seems a good recipe to share. After all, nothing says summer than food from your grill.
As many of you already know, I am a huge fan of Northern Italian-French cooking. Anything that calls for a few pounds of butter mixed with a gallon or so of heavy cream and I am there! My heart might not agree, but the rest of me gets excited at the very thought. The thing that I like about Italian-French cuisine (aside from all the creamy sauces) is the use of wine. Sip, cook, taste, sip some more. Yeah, that makes for a happy cook in the kitchen.
Continue reading “The Heat is On in a Slow-Cooked Pork Carnitas Salsa Verde”
I don’t know what it is about this time of the year and a strong yearning to eat salmon. As soon as the weather turns and the trees bud out, I want salmon. Are they running now?
Thursday nights I like to cook up something Italian. We call it Tuscan Thursday, although it’s not necessarily a Tuscan dish. While this chicken dish ain’t exactly Italian, it’s got enough going on to land it on my menu planner as a Thursday meal. Besides, the grocery store had a great deal on Cream of Asparagus Soup, so I’ve got cans sitting in the pantry that need to be put to good use.
I began working on this menu at the beginning of Holy Week. Why? I was looking ahead, beyond Easter to the next “big” event in the Church calendar. Ascension Thursday, for those who believe, is a pretty big deal. It is the day when the resurrected Christ rose to the heavens. All over the world, the Catholic faithful are called to Mass to honor this day. Unfortunately, in many dioceses in America, the mass is held on the following Sunday. I mean really, isn’t it enough that we attend on Christmas even when it falls in the middle of the week? (Sarcasm folks). Any way you count it, forty days from Easter Sunday will always be a Thursday.
It’s interesting to me how reading a recipe can inspire an entire meal. When I read this recipe, two things sprang to mind. First, I cannot wait for my beefsteak tomatoes to be ready to harvest. Secondly, I miss my little Italian restaurant that served spaghetti in a marinara sauce as part of your meal no matter what you ordered. While this is made with Angel Hair Pasta, it reminded me of that long gone place.
Memorial Day has come and gone. While the official start of summer is still a few weeks out, the unofficial grilling season is definitely here, baby. Oh yeah. Love grilling season. We all love our big, juice burgers, am I right? I know in our house we will be grilling up our fair share of yummy ground chuck. I also know that we’ll have our healthy burgers, too.
The first time I made this for the family, Kiddo said I was suffering from a split personality. I can see where he is coming from, the week before I had served up my Spicy Taco-Stuffed Pasta Shells. I was trying out new recipes, bringing the best of Italian and Mexican cooking together on one plate. If you like a spicy spaghetti, this is the pot for you.
Way, way back in the day when I was the party queen, as in going out to P-A-R-T-Y, hitting all the hots spots and dining in fancy to-die-for 5-Star joints meant life was awesome. As a young grandma raising our grandson, my daytime world revolved around PTA, school and church functions. Anything that required high-heeled shoes was a big deal. Hubby wore a suit and tie to the office back then, so his weekends were all about blue jeans and tee-shirts. Since blue jeans and tee-shirts are the standard issue uniform for stay-at-home type people, my weekends were all about the simple black dress. As in any good marriage, we learned to compromise. On the weekends, we lounged during the day, then called a sitter and painted the town at night. We had the best of both worlds.
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