You know, my rule of thumb is that seasonal ingredients go together. Some ingredients span seasons but most of them are spring-summer/fall-winter oriented. So I don’t usually try to mix watermelon with cranberries. You know what I mean?
Bourbon is, to me, a winter ingredient. I say ingredient because I don’t drink hardly at all..and rarely hard liquor. Strawberries are spring and summer…the two should not mix….except…

Except this worked. I was amazed. The flavors just all blended into a mass of incredible. This went way beyond

Now, I know someone is going to take a look at this and say, “That’s not  Feijoada!”. And of course, you would be absolutely right. And wrong.
At our house this is Feijoada. A long LONG time ago when we had very little money for groceries I wanted to make something different. I had black beans, ground beef, and rice. After much searching I found a recipe for Feijoada and even though I had few of the ingredients, I made it with what I had.
Now, argue with me if you want but that is the true spirit of Feijoada, isn’t it? …read more

I think that Orzo has to be one of the most fun pastas ever invented.  It looks like big grains of rice,and nothing gets lost in it.  It can be frustrating, to me anyway, to create a pasta dish and have the components on the bottom of the pan when the pasta has all been served.  Orzo allows the other ingredients to cuddle right in.  Got to love that!
Spring is here.  I got fresh asparagus for 99 cents a pound and nothing says spring more than that.  When I bought it I knew that Pasta Primavera was not far behind.

In …read more

Since Erin is still taking it easy and resting with the new baby, I have spent a lot of time at her house this week taking the other kids to school and picking them up.  I suppose I am telecommuting since I am working from her house.  Anyway, her birthday was March 26 and I wanted to make it a little special, even though we are doing the celebration when she is back on her feet.  After all, 27 is an important birthday.
Erin loves anime, cherry blossom scented body items, and has a real affinity for Japan…so I wanted to …read more

I am having such a great time with the Artisan Bread book!  It has made things so much easier.  Last week I wanted to make the kids something quick…but what?  I had some of the baguette dough in the fridge, some leftover hot Italian sausage…
Calzones!

This is my entry for Presto Pasta Nights, but it may not be my only one.  It is Presto Pasta Night’s 100th posting date and I wanted to do something special..This was incredible but I am still working on a more incredible birthday surprise..which may or may not work.
Seriously.  Cajun Black Bean Fettuccine. Yum.  You have to like spice for this…and you have to go to Bacon Freaks and get the cajun bacon.
This is spicy.  And different.  And good.

I wish I could call this Calvados Chicken Normandy but I can’t.  I didn’t have any Calvados but I did have a nice bottle of Crown Royal that a customer gave to Marc a couple of years ago.  What can I say? We don’t drink very much.
I wanted to make a cider reduction for this chicken and I thought that the whiskey would give it a nice mellow depth.  I was not disappointed at all, and the Hot Pepper Jelly was a brilliant touch if I do say so myself.

 
First of all…I have to admit that I dropped the camera.  Now when I want to take a picture I have to hold the thing closed with a finger while trying to get the shot without shaking.  Easier said than done… Hopefully I can either get that fixed or get a new camera soon.
Anyway, I was amazed.  Chocolate lava cakes look so complex but they are so amazingly easy!  If you have not tried them..this is seriously a dessert that you can have on the table in under 30 minutes and people will think you are incredible.
Which of course, you …read more

 
While many of you may not think of cheese flautas as being basic they are a fantastic easier-than-you-think addition to your cooking repertoire.
They go together in minutes, nearly everyone loves them, and the filling variations are endless; cheese, cheese and chile, cheese and chicken, chicken and chile, left over beef, taco..the list is endless and can end up with such interesting variations as brie, chipotle, and pecan…or mushroom and parmesan…
You can have your own Mexican Restaurant at home.
If you aren’t hooked yet, then consider that they can be everything from an appetizer, to a snack…main course to dessert …read more