A Monte Cristo sandwich is a ham and cheese sandwich with a layer of strawberry jam, that is then egg-dipped and pan-fried in butter. The sweet and savory flavors, along with the melty cheese and crispy bread are heavenly. I’ve only had a Monte Cristo once, but I remember it well. My stepfather had come
Susan Spungen is a name you might not recognize, although she’s been everywhere. She published her 3rd book, Open Kitchen, in 2020. It’s a cookbook of “inspired food for casual gatherings.” That’s exactly what I enjoy! So, if you aren’t aware of who Ms. Spungen is, here is Amazon’s summary of her accomplishments: Susan Spungen
My French mother went through a long Chinese cooking phase, starting when we moved to Seattle, Washington. An avid scuba diver, Mom made a deal with Mrs. Chin, who owned a Chinese cooking store and school at Pike Place market in Seattle. In exchange for sea cucumbers picked off of the Puget Sound’s sandy floor,
First of all, Happy Valentine’s Day to all of you who celebrate it! May you all be with your loved ones on the 14th and share a special meal and bottle of wine or two! I’m not one to make everything heart-shaped just because it’s February, but years ago I was gifted a white porcelain
During the summer, I was showing a friend the four tomato pies I have on my blog, after discussing tomatoes growing profusely in her garden. Lucky her! I shared my recipe for Mimi’s Tomato Pie, and my Rustic Tomato Galette, and Chef JP’s Tomato Pie. I guess I love tomato pies! But the fourth blog
An email came to me from Cocktail Builder. I’d signed up for their newsletter because I love their website. You list what you want to make a cocktail with, and then recipes appear! Today’s email was about the scientific aspects of the perfect bloody Mary. What? I thought I knew everything necessary to make a
Traditional Irish colcannon is a comforting and delicious potato mash that includes cabbage and green onions. There are many variations, however. This recipe takes basic colcannon, and modernizes it with some cream, more butter, and crispy leeks. According to Melissa Clark, from New York Times Cooking: “The fried leeks aren’t traditional: Usually, the alliums are
I love all forms of charcuterie, but I’m especially enamored with pâtés, terrines, and rillettes. It’s something about their rustic, picnic-like nature. On my sister-friend’s cooking blog a while back, I saw something I’d not made before – potted ham! I knew I’d love it. It’s a simple recipe, not much different than making rillettes.
A girlfriend of mine often gifts me cookbooks, and the most recent one was Half Baked Harvest. I was excited because I have followed Tieghan Gerard’s award-winning blog for years, but didn’t realize she had published not only this cookbook, in 2017, but also Super Simple, in 2019! Honestly, I have to admit to being
By definition, truffles, the chocolate kind not the fungus, are made of chocolate and cream only. These I call truffle balls, which are a throwback to the rum balls of the 1950’s. I enjoy making truffle balls, because for one thing they’re way easier than real truffles. They’re also more “stable” and less temperamental, because