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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It was finally HOT and humid in Philly today, which in my book means salad for dinner; if that salad is a Watermelon and Feta Salad, all the better. I love this salad. It’s gotten really popular in the last few years, but its trendiness doesn’t diminish its appeal to me. It’s o-so-simple and refreshing. […]
Continue readingIt was early Sunday morning and all the liquor stores were closed. With no champagne on hand, we decided that instead of a mimosa, we’d have to head for the hard stuff. Citrus was an obvious choice to pair with the salty breakfast menu and gin was the bottle in the freezer. Here’s the fruit […]
Continue readingThis dish came about in a cool way. I went to Brooklyn to visit my dear Erin and brought her some delicious olive bread as a hostess gift. The day got away from us, and it was time for our dinner reservation before we got around to eating it. Of course I was concerned about […]
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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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Sometimes, I find kale salad boring, there, I said it, but this Kale Salad with Toasted Hazelnuts and Caraway Seeds is anything but boring. I really like all of the crunchy seeds and nuts against the substantial kale. And raw kale is usually just a bit too tough for me. I like it roasted, or […]
Continue readingRed Potato Salad & Whole-grain Mustard is the side for a wine pairing I just completed for MacRostie winery’s May release. I’m posting it here, just a little out of order, but the whole meal should be up by next week. And in the meantime, enjoy. This salad can stand on its own. I couldn’t […]
Continue readingGotta 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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When I began my research for *Definitely Not Derby Pie* – Chocolate Walnut Pie, I found out that the name is protected fiercely by the Kern family and the Melrose Inn- the creators. It’s kind of funny to me because the pie is pretty simple. It’s basically a chocolate chip cookie with walnuts in pie […]
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This quick and dirty, fresh from the freezer version of Succotash makes it an o-so-easy side dish. And for a Kentucky Derby Party where the main dish is some serious meat, like my Twice Glazed Brisket: Bourbon and Peaches, I recommend keeping it vegetarian, even though bacon is typically found in the dish… this is […]
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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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This Chilled Peach Soup recipe is based on an appetizer I used to have at the Inn at Kristofer’s in Sister Bay, Wisconsin. The restaurant was one of my early exposures to fine dining. I’ve modified it a little to suit my taste, but it’s basically the same as what they used to serve in a […]
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