In what I know is not an overly popular opinion, I must confess that I’m not a big fan of lemon being the star flavor in a savory dish. I don’t mind some lemon pepper, along with other seasonings, on some spicy pretzels, and if we’re talking dessert, I’m all about a lemon bar, lemon …
Continue reading “There’s no reason to be sour about tasty chicken and potatoes”
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”
