Portabella Poblano Tacos

I love these easy, quick, healthy, Portabella Poblano Tacos; they’re great for a weeknight meal. They’re flavorful and satisfying and are easy to make at high quality regardless of the season. Because of how beautifully the Portabella Poblano Tacos present, they’re great for guests, too. If you’ve never made them before, I challenge you to take […]

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Prosciutto Melon Salad

This Prosciutto Melon Salad is perfectly simple. And why shouldn’t it be? After all, it’s that time of year. Food in general is so perfect right now that the best cooks know to just leave it alone. Perhaps add a little salt? And this salad is capitalizing on the innate Italian knowledge of that reality. […]

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Ottolenghi Fave: Grilled Zucchini and Basil Salad

One of the most inspirational cookbooks I’ve purchased in the past few years was Ottolenghi’s Plenty and one of my favorite recipes in the whole gorgeous book is An Ottolenghi Fave: Grilled Zucchini and Basil Salad. I love to make it deep in the Summer as an alternative to Caprese. Plenty is a vegetarian cookbook […]

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Salmon with Lingonberry BBQ Butter

Once upon a wine pairing, my sister Heidi challenged me to make one dish to pair with both a chardonnay and a pinot noir; this Salmon with Lingonberry BBQ Butter turned out to be just the dish. I thought quite a bit about different proteins that I thought would be up to the task, and […]

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Morning After Meal: Assemblage Cooking: Succotash with Corn Pasta

Gotta love leftovers. Especially when you can re-purpose them into something new, different and exciting. If you made succotash for your derby party and there’s lots leftover, never fear. Simply boil some pasta. I used a very cool corn pasta in this instance. Then reheat the succotash, add some spinach to get your greens in […]

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Twice Glazed Brisket: Bourbon and Peaches

I can’t take credit for the awesomeness of this Twice Glazed Brisket: Bourbon and Peaches. I made this recipe almost exactly as the chef wrote it for the February 2012 issue of Bon Appetit. But I’ll add my pictures and comments [Text in brackets is mine, the rest is from Chef Lee] so you know […]

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Clementine Pork with Rapini

This playful dish is a nod to the classic Orange Peel Beef. Lighten up! it extolls. And that’s what makes pairing it with MacRostie’s most playful wine (Pinot Noir Rosé) so much fun. The bitter rapini, which is common in Southern Europe and China (believe it or not) also ties wine to Asian cuisine in […]

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Seared Snapper with Roasted Sweet Potato Salad

Apparently I forgot about some sweet potatoes from my last installment of my CSA (community supported agriculture) box. Let’s just say that the ground has been frozen here for a long time and who knows how old they were. The good news is, root vegetables seem to last forever and inspiration finally struck. I’m always […]

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Lobster Salad with Goat Cheese Vinaigrette

I love avocado and citrus together. I routinely pair them together on salads and serve them as a side to many Mexican dishes, sometimes with black beans, corn and cotija cheese. In this case, I wanted to make the salad a little more glamorous for a dinner party. Also, recently I have seen the ingredients […]

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Kale and Many Mushroom Pizza

It’s surprising to me that this is my first pizza post because I love brainstorming pizza combinations. I like to follow the seasons and what’s at the market in terms of toppings. This particular one is special for many reasons. The cheese (and if you can’t find it, sub a smoked cheese or a sheep’s […]

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Lamb and Eggplant Shepherd’s Pie

This is one recipe that I tend to make at some point every winter. It’s that good. And I’ve tinkered a little, but in general, I make it almost as I read it a few years ago. I roast the eggplant instead of sauté it as I like the flavor and texture better. I lose […]

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Pasta Carbonara with Peas and Pepper

I had a pet theory about pasta carbonara. To me, it seemed like the quintessential late winter, early spring dish. Before being able to buy whatever ingredients whenever we wanted, eating with the seasons was the only option. In the late winter and early spring, the only meat still hanging around was doing it quite […]

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