I have been incredibly busy and will have a post soon with the newest book details. So much fun because it includes some of the favorite recipes from this blog.
Meanwhile, I promised you a lasagna shortcut. How this came about: I had in my freezer mozzarella and sauce leftover from the Christmas Eve lasagna and frozen Spinach Ravioli. Continue reading
Let’s start grilling season off with one of my most requested recipes. A steak coffee rub.
From August 2013
A friend of mine spent a few months one summer experimenting with coffee rubs. This was one of my favorites. If you need something fun to do with your next grilled steak, this is a recipe to try. And with my love of blueberries, can’t go wrong with a blueberry coffeecake. Yum.
On the board tonight:
Steak with Coffee Rub
It’s snowing here – well, raining at the moment, but snow by the evening. Never mind my garden is planted with tomatoes, three kinds of peppers, tomatillos, and zucchini, all raised in the house nursery over the past few months. Sigh.
It’s Colorado and we are always prepared for snow, so I’ve got everything ready to be covered and protected as the weather turns. Just not how I expected to spend the latter part of my week.
Cold weather puts me in the mood for some spicy favorites. This is from 2017:
I’m not big on deep frying anything, but I love orange chicken so I wanted to find a way to make it so it was still crisp without all the oil and breading. I found the perfect ingredient to produce that result: potato starch. I’ve been using it for a while now and it makes the most perfect Oven Baked Chicken – I’ve been substituting it for the bread crumbs, combining it with crushed rice chex – I’ll post an updated recipe on that technique this week.
I thought it might have the same effect on pan frying chicken pieces. It did. Crispy, light and flavorful. Of course top anything with enough orange sauce and I’m there.
On the board tonight:
This is an elegant dinner that looks like it took you all day to prepare. From start to finish I cooked the asparagus and gnocchi in 1/2 hour. The strawberry bread takes an hour to cook, but it’s a breeze to put together. So if you feel the need for something special, but still easy, this one could be for you.
On the board tonight:
Years ago, Christmas Eve is spent eating good food at friends’ Mark and Larissa’s house. Mark’s mom is from Italy and Larissa’s mom is from Japan, and luckily for me, the subject always turns to food from both countries. This year we talked about ravioli, gnocchi and fish in salt domes. I have to confess I’m not a fan of gnocchi. Should be good, right? – potato goodness, covered in sauce. What’s not to love? It just isn’t a favorite of mine. Maybe because I’ve never had it fresh I am missing out. But after we discussed how to make it fresh, well, I don’t think I’d be making it anytime soon. Then I saw a recipe for Ricotta Gnocchi and it sounded good and best of all, easy. So I’d thought I’d try it. This is what I came up with and it quickly became a favorite of my guests.
Baked Ricotta Gnocchi in Fire Roasted Tomato and Basil Sauce
Sauce:
Add ingredients in saucepan, bring to a low boil, reduce to low and let simmer while preparing gnocchi. Continue reading
As I noted in November, I lost my mom. I find myself looking to favorite childhood recipes to remember here. This one we had at least once a week when I was a kid.
Quick, easy and freezes well, I usually make double so I have some on hand for quick dinners. Trust me, you will never find any jar sauce in my house. Ever. If you’d like to have meatballs instead, recipe is here.
On the board tonight: Continue reading
Revisiting this recipe because it’s been ridiculously cold this week and I’ve about had it with ducks being inside and puppies crazed because they aren’t getting enough outdoor time. So this and French Bread are all that’s holding me together.
From 2020:
In my quest to update some of my older recipes for Instant Pot style cooking, here is one of my favorites. I love being able to set this up and an hour and a half later have a perfectly cooked pot roast – tender and flavorful – along with all the sides.
Sunday Pot Roast On A Weeknight
slow-cooker or Instant Pot Continue reading
Continuing my Southern-themed menus this month, leading up to Mardi Gras:
I get gifts and often times it’s spices, so I have a couple of really good Cajun spice mixes to choose from for the fish. The potatoes are so easy, especially if you have a mandolin, it takes about 10 minutes to make this recipe from start to finish. Lots of butter and I added crushed roasted garlic and brushed a little olive oil on the top layer. I always forget how good they are and wonder why I don’t make them more often.
Blood oranges are in season if you want to substitute for the pears.
On the board tonight:
Pan-fried Catfish*
large skillet
Brush catfish with oil and season with Cajun spice. Lightly oil pan, using high heat fry 3-4 minutes on each side.
*if you don’t think you’ll like catfish, you can substitute salmon, whitefish, trout, or even boneless chicken breasts (requires longer cooking time).
If you can’t find a commercial Cajun spice mixture, you can mix together equal parts of the following and store in an airtight container: paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, lemon zest, black pepper, red pepper, allspice, thyme, ground cloves, mace, cayenne, and crushed bay leaf.
Buttered Potato Pie
large skillet
Peel & slice potatoes thinly. Heat 2 tbsp of butter in skillet. Arrange onions on the bottom of the skillet, then layer potatoes slices overlapping in a ring on the bottom of the pan. As you make each layer, drizzle the remaining butter over the top and season with salt & pepper. Invert heat-proof plate, or I use a metal pie pan, over the potatoes, weigh down with heavy heat-proof object (like a can of water). Sauté over medium heat until potatoes are molded and golden brown. Remove the plate. Transfer the potatoes to the 400-degree F oven and cook until caramelized and cooked through, about 30 minutes, pressing the potatoes occasionally to compress and shaking the pan to keep the potatoes from sticking to the bottom. Cut into four wedges and serve with parsley garnish.
Shopping List
Also: olive oil, Cajun spice, salt, pepper
As winter drags on and we get closer to Fat Tuesday (March 1st this year) my meals tend to take on a Southern feel…Washday Beans and Rice, Chicken and Biscuits, Pulled Pork Sandwiches. I’ll revisit all those recipes in the coming weeks. See if I can adapt any to the Instant Pot.
Speaking of the Instant Pot – I gave my 6 qt to a friend who lost everything in the Marshall fire and bought myself a new 8 qt pot – more soup! More dog food! Hey, an entire chicken can roast in there!
Pasta Jambalaya is such an easy and fun one-pot dinner. My goal with the dinner menus is to have a quick meal planned that doesn’t taste quick and uses fresh foods, versus over-processed frozen or microwave dinners. I think this one really meets that test. It’s full of great flavors and fresh vegetables. And the Orange cookies are a simple dessert, but you can always substitute fresh oranges for a healthier alternative.
On the board:
Pasta Jambalaya
saucepan Continue reading
What's 4 Dinner Solutions 
