Curried Chicken Salad Wraps
This is a great recipe if you're looking for new ways to use up leftover chicken (or turkey, or pork...any white meat, really). You can whip this together in a few minutes and it makes a delicious...
View ArticleGrilled Fish Tacos with Black Bean and Corn Salsa
Joe has had a special place in his heart for fish tacos ever since a trip to Mexico over New Years' Eve week of 2000, right when everyone thought the world was going to end. He was meeting a longtime...
View ArticleRouladen - German Stuffed Beef Rolls
This is a classic German recipe that I learned from an American family that lived in Germany for some time. The first version is their rather Americanized (but still delicious) version. The second...
View ArticlePlátanos Maduros (Sweet Fried Plantains)
My first mother-in-law was a Mexican immigrant. After I married her son, we moved into Mama Nona's house to save money to buy our own house. I was twenty years old, and I’d lived on a farm in Michigan...
View ArticlePaul's Pork Wontons
This easy recipe for pork wontons is one that my step dad Paul learned when he was teaching agricultural methods in Vietnam during the war. My mom calls them "little porkies". In this photo, Paul is...
View ArticleCajun Bay Scallops with Zucchini Noodles and Potato puree
2 pounds small (5-inch-long) zucchini 1 pound russet potatoes 1 large onion, chopped 2 tbsp oil, divided 2 garlic cloves, minced 5 cups chicken broth 2 tsp fresh lemon juice 1 1/2 tsp Creole seasoning...
View ArticleKale with Bacon and Pine Nuts
Our very last Iron Chef Bacon Cook Off recipe comes from my friend John, our tattooed and Harley-riding church consultant friend who loves his food creation time as a meditative, relaxing practice....
View ArticleRed, White, and Blue Potato Salad
I've heard that Sweet Tomatoes restaurant makes a potato salad like this. That's a little disappointing because I thought Joe and I made up this recipe. Oh well. I'm extremely picky about potato salad...
View ArticleTriple Berry/Cream Shortcake Bars
Even better than strawberry shortcake! When we took a cooking course in Tuscany, we learned how to make a traditional apricot tart with the super-fresh and aromatic apricots the villa owners grew on...
View ArticlePoblano Corn Chowder
Sweet corn and peppers are in season right now, and this summer chowder brings them together in creamy goodness. If you don't find poblano peppers, or don't like a little heat, try green or red bell...
View ArticleToo-Hot-To-Cook Veggie Pizza
This recipe has been around for a while, but it's still an easy favorite for me and my daughter to make together. We first tasted this when a dear friend brought it to a potluck as an appetizer and...
View ArticleBlack Bean Mango Salad with Shrimp
A few weeks ago, our friends John and Peg invited us over to dinner and a play down at the Goodman Theater in Chicago. John is a fabulous cook who was working on a tropical theme - this mango and...
View ArticleRanch Crash Baby Potatoes
You might have noticed that Joe and I love potatoes. Really love them! It's a culinary fact that if there's potatoes involved, it's going to be a good dish. And if you add cheese and oil and other...
View ArticleWatermelon-Feta Salad
This light, fresh salad is easy to whip up and perfect for a Labor Day picnic. You can also add cucumber cut into a one-inch dice, if you like. This is even quicker if you buy precut watermelon and...
View ArticlePork Tenderloin with Date and Cilantro Relish
Joe found a luscious loin rib roast for $1.49 a pound, and we cut it into several pieces to last a few meals. I don't know about you, but we don't find deals like this very often. The sweet/savory...
View ArticleFried Sage Leaves (Salvia Fritta)
Thanks to Lawrence Rice for capturing these luscious leaves. :) Just as the last leaves fall and the first snows start, a sage bush in the herb garden is still pumping out leaves. That's probably why...
View ArticleSicilian Lemon Chicken
We’ve made this savory lemon chicken dish for a lot of dinner parties, because it’s simple and delicious and serves a crowd well. The original recipe was from Rao’s Restaurant, a famous old Italian...
View ArticleSmoked Cheese-Stuffed Eggplant Rolls (Involtini di Melanzane)
Eggplants have that hearty, meaty texture of some kinds of mushrooms. This is one reason why they are beloved by vegetarians. Cheese-stuffed eggplant rolls are wonderful for a meatless Monday,...
View ArticleCreamy Baked Leeks
This baked leek casserole reminds me of the creamed onions that were always on my grandma's table at Thanksgiving or Christmas. Joe is sensitive to large amounts of onions, so he enjoys the milder...
View ArticleRisotto Milanese (Saffron Risotto)
Joe taught me how to cook risotto, which is a much different technique than cooking rice. You put rice and water and seasonings into a pan and simmer it for 20 minutes or so, then fluff it up at the...
View ArticleCandy Cane Lollipops
On Thursday, I was going to my friend's holiday cookie exchange, and I really wanted to do something different this year. Twenty or thirty ladies get together for this party, all wonderful cooks and...
View ArticleGrownups' Mocha Hot Chocolate
This is a grownup's kind of hot chocolate, full of cream and whiskey and other good things. It's great on ice or heated. At Christmas, we all walked out to my dad's pole barn, which used to house his...
View ArticleBeer-Braised Beef and Mini Yorkshire Puddings
We found this beer-braised beef recipe in Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking". She says beer is typical for a Belgian braise, and the recipe is called "Carbonnades a la Flamande". The...
View ArticleHot Soups for the Polar Vortex
Chicken Tortilla Soup Friends, the Polar Vortex has seized Chicagoland and I keep thinking of big steaming bowls of hot soups and stews. Nothing beats the cold better - and I love how stew fills up...
View ArticleDecadent Pasta Carbonara
Suppose you just had a hard week and you're feeling a little low and you can't seem to warm up because fall suddenly dropped in on you and even fleece isn't doing its job. Here's what will make it...
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