With the holidays approaching, maybe you’re looking for a simple but elegant brunch offering for your guests, or maybe just something a tad bit special for yourself. This savory custard should please about anyone – – I even like it and eggs are not my favorite! It must be the garlic-infused cream, or the nutty… Continue reading Savory Custard with Bacon and Cheese
Category: Appetizers
Shrimp Scampi with Risotto
If it isn’t completely evident by now, I could eat about anything cooked in, smeared with, or floating in butter and garlic. You put that together with shrimp and a simple risotto – that’s a quick and relatively easy meal that will please most anyone. There are people out there, I know, that don’t like… Continue reading Shrimp Scampi with Risotto
Cheddar Bacon Biscuits (grain-free)
These savory little shortbread cookies will taunt you until you have eaten every last one – I’ll warn you now! I had to make batch after batch of these because I “forgot” to take a photo, and next thing I knew, they were all gone. I first set out on the path to make plain… Continue reading Cheddar Bacon Biscuits (grain-free)
Crispy, Baked Sweet Potato Fries (gluten-free)
Over the weekend I went on an internet mission to find the secret to sweet potato fries that are crispy, baked (vs fried), well-seasoned, and gluten free. I wrote down what I thought were the best ideas from a multitude of recipes, added seasonings I like, and put it all together in a Hail Mary,… Continue reading Crispy, Baked Sweet Potato Fries (gluten-free)
Spring Rolls with “No-Peanut” Sauce
Are there foods that you suddenly have an powerful desire for? I’m sure this happens to us all, whether it is for chocolate fudge or Chex Mix (ahem). I wonder what drives those cravings. Is it simply the power of suggestion, or is there some physical or psychological need that is begging to be filled?… Continue reading Spring Rolls with “No-Peanut” Sauce
Game Day / Party Food Roundup
There’s a big day coming up soon in the US for football enthusiasts. We rarely watch sporting events, but we appreciate any excuse to graze through party food and make a meal of appetizers. I’m not sure what we’ll be feasting on this year, but here’s some ideas from our archives. You can’t have a… Continue reading Game Day / Party Food Roundup
Honey Walnut Shrimp
My memory is not always the best. I often hear people reminiscing with such detail about their past – details that I can never muster from my foggy brain. What they wore on their first day of school, their thoughts on the first time they saw the ocean, where they were when they first heard… Continue reading Honey Walnut Shrimp
Shrimp Fritters aka Shrimp Puppies (gluten-free)
When shrimp meet hush puppies…. As I’ve mentioned before, I rarely fry anything. Me and a hot vat of oil just don’t get along. Every once in awhile, however, I get this craving for crispy battered objects and out comes the cast iron pan and the clip-on thermometer. Who doesn’t love fried shrimp…and who doesn’t… Continue reading Shrimp Fritters aka Shrimp Puppies (gluten-free)
Roasted Cauliflower Soup (gluten-free, dairy-free)
Inspiration: Puree of White Bean Soup from Brasserie le Coze This week I got a blender, a powerful one, something that incredulously was missing from my arsenal of cooking tools. I could not wait to take it for a spin. After making a couple of smoothies, I thought I had the hang of it. Let’s… Continue reading Roasted Cauliflower Soup (gluten-free, dairy-free)
Summer Squash Hummus (Bean-less, Gluten-free)
I find myself with a surplus of white, patty pan squash. I have roasted it, baked it in a casserole, and eaten it sliced and sauteed in butter. It’s all good – but I know there are gardeners (and cooks) out there that are looking for more things to do with their bounty of summer… Continue reading Summer Squash Hummus (Bean-less, Gluten-free)
Balsamic Pork Belly
Recipe adapted from Ian Knauer’s Sticky Balsamic Ribs I hope you are not tired of pork belly, for a couple of reasons. First, this is the best version yet! (Yes, I say that every time.) The second reason is because I still have a few pounds of it in my freezer, so chances are you… Continue reading Balsamic Pork Belly
Maple-Bourbon Smoked Pork Belly
Modified from Los Angeles Times What a smoking weekend! Determined to clear out some of the pork products in the freezer, we decided to get the Big Green Egg smoking most of the day Saturday with a pork shoulder roast (aka pork butt) and a pound of pork belly. We’ve been getting pork belly every… Continue reading Maple-Bourbon Smoked Pork Belly
Roasted Eggplant and Sweet Pepper Dip
Back when I played tennis, which was one broken ankle and more than a few years ago, my team may not have always have won the match but, by god, we always had a great table of food. Not being one of the best players on my team, I liked to think that I somehow… Continue reading Roasted Eggplant and Sweet Pepper Dip
Clams in Wine, Garlic and Herb Broth
Over the last decade (or two), I seem to have developed quite an aversion to crowds of people. The feeling of being hemmed in, the annoyance of trying to get where I’m going while people stand obliviously in the center of the walkway, frustration with children running over you while their self-adsorbed parents text and… Continue reading Clams in Wine, Garlic and Herb Broth