Don’t look too closely at the blurry photo … I know, it’s subpar. And I am so, so, so sorry. But this was so good that I just couldn’t wait to dig in and somehow all of my photos came out blurred. I swear, it won’t happen again. So, just forgive me for now.

Besides, the goodness of whirled butter more than makes up for the badness of the photo. Just a little dob of this delish butter is all you need for a sizzling steak (which of course causes it to melt everywhere) to make the steak taste simply divine. I suggest you try it. And again (cause this definitely makes enough for several meals).

Read the rest of this entry…

I’ve been staring at this screen for way too long. Of course, I want to tell you how much I love simple but flavorful sauces like this. I want to describe how the tangy lemon is so well complimented with the mellow parsley and zesty garlic. Really, I do. I really want to you to know that you need to make this and eat it over steak or potatoes … or both (but then you should make a double batch for four people).

It’s kind of like chimichurri … without the spice.

Just try it.

Read the rest of this entry…

This past week was a welcome reprieve from the dreary winter days that have been a constant recently. Seeing the sun has done a lot to chase away the dread with which I have been approaching the weather. And (knock on wood) we finally had a snow-free week. I never thought I would be this happy to see snow melt away, but I am … I could do without the quicksand that suddenly appeared on my driveway though. Seriously. If it’s not one thing, it’s another.

The heightened temperatures (take that you silly old groundhog!) have given way to thoughts of  summer foods. Sweet, juicy tomatoes that explode in your mouth, strawberries so juicy that one nibble sends streams of pink down your chin, a sprig of vibrant basil, fresh English peas for shelling, peeling sweet corn, garlic scrapes … Oh, how I miss summer produce. And try as I might to eat what’s in season, I sometimes need a reprieve too. So, when I smelled the vibrant, unmistakable scent of basil in the grocery store the other day, I had to have it. The big bunch looked so fresh and perfect, I simply couldn’t leave without it.

So I didn’t. Read the rest of this entry…

When I woke up yesterday, I looked outside to see delicate snowflakes falling gently from the sky and adding a blanket of pristine white snow to the outdoors. The undisturbed snow looked so peaceful and inviting, like a standing invitation to come play. It was a perfect winter wonderland outside, one that I craved as a child every winter morning.

Live and learn, right?

My first thought when I saw the snow wasn’t about how pretty the scene was or how lovely the flakes were. It had nothing to do with snowdays or snowmen or snow angels. I didn’t think about skiing or sledding or any other fun winter pursuit.

No, instead the first thing I thought was “Not. Again.” with an assortment of colorful words dotting the sentiment. I am so sick of snow right now. In fact, winter itself is persona non grata for me at present.

Don’t get me wrong, I love snow. What I don’t love is the fact that I have shoveled and shoveled and shoveled and even sprung for a plow to help when it was too heavy to do ourselves (we have the mother of all driveways). But my too-wide, too-long driveway remains my nemesis this winter. An ice storm last week, followed by up and down temperatures and two (yes, TWO!)  more snow storms has left it a sheet of ice that five bags of salt can’t undo.

And it certainly doesn’t help that the temperature is so low that you could easily store all of the contents of your freezer outside without concern. It’s times like this that rich, delicious food can be a great comfort – a bright spot in an otherwise frozen day.

This artichoke sauce is versatile – use it for sandwiches, pasta or appetizers and you won’t be disappointed. But be warned: it’s addictive.

Read the rest of this entry…

I love – LOVE – the ease of food that can do double duty. For instance, a roasted chicken like the one mentioned on the Everyday Food blog today can be Sunday dinner, Monday chicken tacos, Tuesday chicken and rice and Wednesday chicken salad. Talk about a blessing for a busy, harried mom — or any uber busy person.

That’s why I love this beef recipe. It doesn’t take long to throw together and it can feed a family of four for three meals. It’s adapted from a cookbook that I’ve had for several years, but rarely used, called Better Food for Kids. My version makes it a bit fresher and more to my style/taste.

Since you use it in different dishes, we didn’t get bored eating ground beef three times in a week. Will and Paige gobbled up the shepherd’s pie and devoured the beefy calzone that I made with this (see below for directions). And the bolognese was a huge hit too. Read the rest of this entry…

I love pesto. I make a million different variations of pesto. Pesto is my friend. Unfortunately, my husband isn’t as fond of it though. Too bad for him. But, that means more for me (and Will).

Pestos are great to use on sandwiches, in pastas, on toasted breads, on vegetables … oh, there are a million great applications. This particular pesto is as simple as it comes, but it was fantastic on a sandwich I made the other day (more on that later this week).

Truth be told, this isn’t really a pesto though. Read the rest of this entry…

Simplicity is sometimes the best thing you can offer food. Truffling this and foaming that doesn’t guarantee a better meal (and can sometimes result in a seriously missed opportunity). But a few simple ingredients, along with a simple process and yield a simply delicious result.

Take this dish for instance. It started out in my head. I had all of these extra tomatoes to use and a plethora of basil in the garden. But rather than throw together a salad, I wanted something that could be used in many different ways – a more versatile dish. Now I have to admit, I think this was inspired by a dish I read about elsewhere but I cannot for the life of me remember where or what it was. I will update if I can figure it out.

Oh, and it’s not the prettiest of finished results (see below) but it is rather tasty. Beware though, if you don’t like the taste of tomatoes, you shouldn’t try this. The taste is complemented, but not overridden by the other flavors.

kosher salt, generous amount

Preheat the oven to 425.

Cook in the preheated oven for 40 minutes. Remove from oven and stir well. Let sit for 10 minutes and sprinkle with sea salt just before serving.

My tomato basil marinara sauce begins with the above. What are they? Broiled tomatoes. Mmmm. Broiling them makes them soft, perfect for crushing, and it ripens their flavor.

This sauce is great for baking (lasagna, manicotti, etc) or good with pasta. You could use it over chicken parm or dip fried mozzarella in it. Or, you could add veggies for a chunkier rendition.

Tomato Basil Marinara

2 large tomatoes, washed
3 extra large cloves of garlic (or 6 medium cloves), minced
1 cup basil, chopped – fresh only
3 small cans of tomato paste
water
1 tbsp dried Italian seasonings
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp sugar

Place the tomatoes on a jelly roll pan, covered with aluminum foil. Place in the oven and turn on the broiler (high). Cook, flipping every five minutes, for 15 minutes, or until skin blackens and pulls away.

Let tomatoes fully cool before proceeding (allow at least an hour . . . I made the tomatoes a day a ahead and left them in the fridge over night).

Gather and prepare all ingredients. Halve the tomatoes and remove seeds and stems (discard). Chop and crush tomatoes finely.

Heat a large dutch oven or heavy pot over medium heat. Place the garlic and basil and cook, stirring frequently, for one minute. Add tomato paste and water. How much water? 2.5 cans worth per can of tomato paste. Stir in tomatoes and Italian seasonings.

Bring sauce to a rapid boil.

Stir in salt and pepper and sugar. Lower heat to low and simmer sauce for one hour, stirring occasionally.

* Be sure to taste your sauce throughout the cooking and add additional salt and pepper to your taste. Always add a little at a time though so as not to over season.

This is a post for Sweetnicks’ ARF/5-A-Day Tuesdays. Check out Sweetnicks for other like-minded, antioxidant rich recipes.

My husband used to be the only griller in our house. I wouldn’t go near that gas-operated thing when he bought it, proclaiming the assault on the tried and true charcoal grilling method that has been used for years.

Apparently, I’ve changed.

In the past two weeks, I have learned how to start the grill, use it and mastered some delicious cooking on there. Go figure. I guess I was just ready for it.

Now I have ripped my husband’s last cooking domain from him, leaving him without any surface to beat his chest over and roar. Back when we were dating, he did all the cooking, all the time. I refused, even though I loved to cook. I just didn’t want to be the woman in the kitchen, barefoot and…you get the idea.

Slowly I came around, realizing that I couldn’t take the meat and occasional potato dinners any longer. I needed more variety and more vegetables. So I started slowly by making the side dishes and he’d make the main course (read: a slab of meat).

Then I began experimenting more, working for the ‘Wow’ factor. And over time, I have rid our house of processed and boxed foods and replaced it with fresh ingredients to make all the things we used to just buy like instant potatoes (yuck!), instant fettuccine Alfredo (double yuck!) and canned vegetables (except corn, I love canned corn).

I got a big wow this weekend when I used a glaze similar to the one below on steak and topped it with gorgonzola cheese. Now that was good.

Anyway, now he can’t seem to get me out of the kitchen or away from making fresh and new dishes. It’s just my thing. Now, if I could just get into cleaning the way I am into cooking…<

Apple Honey Barbecue Glaze

1/2 cup barbecue sauce
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup apple juice
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp dried thyme

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan.

Bring to a boil stirring constantly, reduce heat to low and simmer 10 minutes.

Remove from heat and transfer to a cool bowl.

TO USE: Slather generously with a basting brush onto meat of your choice while grilling. I love it on pork, personally, so that is a good place to start.