Tag: basil

A few weeks ago, as one of my officemates, who shall remain nameless, glanced at my column, he remarked, “You’re really on a pasta kick right now, aren’t you?” “Yeah,” I told him. “I’m always on a pasta kick.” I mean, it’s kind of a silly question. Pasta is amazing. So, despite the judgement from …

Continue reading “‘Tuscan’ play at this shrimp pasta game”

While watching random cooking shows over the years, I picked up the advice from several chefs that if you’re cooking with wine, you should choose a bottle you would actually want to drink, or it isn’t worth using in your recipe. I have never heard the same advice for beer. I have used some of …

Continue reading “Everyone will polish off their plates with this sheet pan meal”

There are a few dishes that feel specifically American. Meatloaf is one of those, despite it also being the butt of many sitcom jokes over the years. According to an article by Erica Martinez for “Food Republic,” meatloaf has been on recipe cards since the 1870s, but it may be even older than that. “[F]ood …

Continue reading “You’ll ‘loaf’ this lightened-up classic dish for dinner”

Any time I find pork shoulder at a great price at our local grocery store, it’s a no-brainer for me to put it in the cart and let Joey know that I wouldn’t mind if he threw it on his smoker over the weekend. That’s why it was a little weird last week when Joey …

Continue reading “You ‘nita’ stop what you’re doing and try this pressure cooker recipe”

Throughout the winter months, Joey and I make a lot of soups, chowders and chilis, which I still firmly believe are perfectly great recipes to pull out of the box any time of the year. But sometimes I find myself in the mood for a casserole—something with a ton of flavorful ingredients, all nestled beneath …

Continue reading “Put some pep(per) in your step with a tasty, cheesy casserole”

On most days, Joey and I work in the same newspaper office or together from home. Every once in awhile, though, we go our separate ways. Recently, when we had such a day, Joey shot me a text, “Hey, it’s been a really long day. Do you mind figuring out dinner for tonight?” Challenge accepted. …

Continue reading “Cheese, spinach are the stuff dinner dreams are made of”

Some wonderful friends of ours hosted Joey and me this past weekend while we were on a trip to speak to some college students. We were treated to a great time, fabulous food and amazing company, getting to break bread with a lot of their friends while we were there. Of course, we had to …

Continue reading “This flavorful vegetable pasta doesn’t ‘shrimp’ on flavor”

I was in such a hurry this week, trying to toss together a quick dinner for Joey and I before we headed back out the door for more commitments. In the moments before I headed home, I popped into the grocery store, a new recipe on my phone, grabbing quick ingredients before trying to get …

Continue reading “Don’t have time to get ’round to dinner? Make meatball soup.”

I was listening to a podcast this week about a scammer who managed to get millions of dollars out of his marks by pretending to be a Saudi Arabian prince. In one case, he was found out because he ordered a dish with pancetta in it at a restaurant, and since his dining companion knew …

Continue reading “Chop, chop! It’s time for a fabulous pork dinner”

Joey and I received an amazing opportunity last week to speak at the Kentucky Press Association’s winter conference. We had a fabulous time with some really great people. My only complaint was the weather for our drive there and back heavily featured thick fog and switched between torrential downpours and drizzles. By the time we …

Continue reading “Italian comfort dish ‘gnocchi’ed dinner out of the park”