I have long written about how much I love to buy a random ingredient at the grocery store (especially one that’s on sale) and figure out how to use it. But I don’t think I’ve outed Joey as being the same way—except with spices and sauces. I can’t even count the number of times we …
Continue reading “New (to us) seasoning is a ‘rice’ change of pace”
My allergies are totally angry at me right now. I don’t know what kind of plant is surviving well enough in this late-July heat to attack my sinuses, but something certainly has been. So when I told you I was immediately attracted to a soup recipe, you’ll forgive my stuffy nose for wanting a hot …
Continue reading “Don’t leaf through your cookbooks for ideas, make this instead”
It’s the time of year that Joey’s bowling team comes for their end-of-season cookout at our house. That means Joey throws something on the grill or smoker, and I figure out some tasty sides and desserts to make them all happy. The guys are always gracious enough to put up with new experiments from me …
Continue reading “Your guests will go hog wild for this amazing bean dip”
There is really only one part of winter that I like: getting to eat soup. But then I realized one day that you really don’t have to reserve having a big bowl of soup, stew or chili to the cold months. Honestly, despite being a warm food, it’s not an awful summer meal. You don’t …
Continue reading “Think you can’t eat chili in summer? That’s your ‘poblano’”
Joey and I have a shared joke when we go out to eat about which one of us “won” dinner, especially when we’re trying someplace new. A few weeks ago, Joey definitely won. He ordered a special that included fish (which I was not all that interested in) on top of an absolutely amazing mushroom …
Continue reading “Prepare to be mesme‘riced’ by creamy risotto”
As soon as the weather forecast called for snow this past week, I immediately began reviewing soup recipes I saved over the past year. It was time. Joey and I prepared our “get ready to be snowed in” list for the grocery store, and I was thoroughly ready to make some awesome, hearty meals while …
Continue reading “There’s ‘snow’ excuse for waiting to try this great 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”
Last weekend, Joey attended a day-long bowling tournament. The day before he left, he lamented that he didn’t think he would have time to throw a whole chicken we bought on the smoker and may have to toss it back in the freezer. Instead, I offered to put it in the oven on my day …
Continue reading “You can cook a whole chicken—even under pressure”
This past weekend, Joey found whole chickens on sale and proceeded to put three on his smoker. I told him I wanted to try a different way to make stock from the bones, once he was done pulling the meat, and he graciously put the pieces into my large crockpot for me. Normally, we make …
Continue reading “This creamy chicken soup was fabulous, ‘gnocchi’dding”
We always host friends at our house for the NFL playoff games—especially if the Chiefs are still in the race—and the recent AFC Championship game was no exception. Along with having folks over to yell at the TV with us, we try to put out a good spread of food for everyone to enjoy. While …
Continue reading “Get ready to ‘chowder’ down on some hearty soup this week”