2011 has been a roller coaster of a year for my family and I, one I wish I could have stepped off of before the year began. The year started as a blur, my mind in a complete fog. We buried dad New Year’s Eve and the following months would prove to challenge me in unexpected ways which I’m still dealing with and slowly processing. Mom moved into our “cozy” home, a home my husband and I bought eleven years ago. When we bought this place it was a complete fixer, pink bathroom tile included. It was a seller’s housing market back then and even the dumpiest of homes commanded premium dollars. But we were newly married with a determined vision. Together, we would roll up our sleeves and work on remodeling our house one room every year as our budget allowed. The sweat equity would eventually pay off as years went by. All my cake decorating experience would serve me well when it came to smoothing out drywall puddy. As a contractor friend once told me, if you can frost a cake smooth, smoothing drywall will be a cinch for you.
Slowly but surely our ugly, dumpy home started to transform into something beautiful and permanent. We gutted rooms, opened up walls, designed our kitchen, and added finishing touches like crown molding throughout the house. The process in which our home turned into a butterfly from a lowly caterpillar has been a remarkable journey of perseverance and celebration. This has been the only home my three children have ever known and our plans were to stay here until they were old enough to move out on their own. But sometimes life circumstances have a pesky way of changing plans. [click to continue…]
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[donotprint] I’m smitten with Chef Michael Symon. Not because he is an Iron Chef, Food Network host, or owner of acclaimed restaurants – Lola and Lolita. I actually don’t subscribe to cable so I’ve never watched him on TV. Come to think of it, maybe I’m not actually smitten with him, but I am in love with his bacon mac & cheese. You should know, I’m not a huge mac & cheese fan, so this is saying a lot.
I’ve tried all sorts of mac & cheese recipes and I’ve never tried one this good. It instantly becomes memorable, from the first to the last bite. This recipe by Chef Michael Symon is heavenly, and it even called for rosemary, which I found odd to pair with a bacon mac & cheese. By the way – I’m not a huge rosemary fan either. I don’t mind adding the herb to soups but would never consider adding it to pasta…not ever. And then there were the four cups of heavy cream this recipe called for. I thought this surely was a typo. Four cups of heavy cream for one pound of dry elbow pasta – what the heck??!! But I learned through this recipe that heavy cream can be reduced with prolonged simmering into a very thick sauce without any added thickener. [click to continue…]
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There is a time and place for cheap, chain-restaurant style pizza. There is also a time for gourmet pizza. What constitutes gourmet pizza from cheap pizza is subjective and debatable. But when I’m by myself or dining out with friends, I love pizza with quality ingredients, made with fresh mozzarella on a crispy, thin crust -extra points if the crust is also a bit chewy. And when I’m not eating pizza with my husband, I always order vegetarian. I love meatless pies.
Sometimes my urge to eat good pizza happens when I least expect it, like finding a $5 bill in my coat pocket I haven’t worn for months. While grocery shopping today, I wanted pizza. Not just any pizza, good pizza. Being inspired by all the fresh produce in the store, I decided to make myself a chantrelle mushroom and sauteed kale pie. [click to continue…]
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Fact: I will eat just about any food but my favorite dishes are usually simple to prepare, fresh in flavor, and can be made very quickly. Cooking for me is about being flexible, creative, and resourceful. And I can’t help but be a little proud of myself when I make something so deliciously good with such little amount of effort.
For instance, today’s pasta dish was inspired by Aglio E Olio (warm olive oil and garlic pasta), the bounty of summer cherry tomatoes, fresh basil growing in a tiny plastic pot next to the kitchen window,, and fresh lump Dungeness crab meat to top it all off. The addition of fresh lemon juice brightens everything perfectly. We now have a light summer dinner meal bursting with flavor to delight the palette as well as the stomach. [click to continue…]
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I love insalata caprese salad. I love everything about it, from the vibrant colors of each ingredient to how each element comes together for a delicious dish. Best of all is how simple this is to make but yet is stunning to look at when plated. Those are my favorite types of dishes to prepare! There is something deeply satisfying when I can create something at home in a few minutes yet feel like I’ve ordered it from a restaurant! I repeat what I said from the beginning… I love insalata caprese salad. I think you will too. Enjoy! [click to continue…]
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