Category Archives: Uncategorized

I call this “summer salad” but it’s really a wonderful salad any time of year. I love the salty taste of feta with tomatoes, and a wonderful combination of Middle Eastern spices called Zahtar .

Try and find this wonderful blend of spices–it will add wonderful flavor to a very simple meal. I like this salad with avocado because I like everything with avocado. It’s optional, as are the olives. This is a beautiful salad served all year but there is something about it that shouts summer, BBQ, and warm nights. The tomatoes are so beautiful right now, especially the heirlooms in all those beautiful colors go and grab some from your local farmers market or road stand. Excuse the picture, it’s fuzzy but you get the picture. It’s a greek salad without the lettuce. A perfect side dish salad to go with any meal. Beautiful with a piece of grilled…

Every year on August 15 Julia Child comes to mind since it is her birthday and would have been 101st Birthday. She was such a huge influence on all of us who cook and enjoy eating so I try and make one or two of her recipes every year on this day.  This is a most delicious light “very French” potato salad. I am not a huge fan of potatoes swimming in mayonnaise so this was such a welcome treat. It is moderately difficult and that just means there are a few steps involved. It’s worth the effort, her cooking was never effortless but well worth it.

“You don’t have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces–just good food from fresh ingredients” Julia Child

Ingredients:

1 lb. “boiling” potatoes, all the same size and shape if at all possible

2 tbsp. shallots, finely chopped/minced

Kosher Salt

White Pepper, freshly ground if available, if not use…

The corn is so delicious right now that I had to make this soup. I was going to save this recipe for the Fall but I used the fresh Olathe corn at the market now and couldn’t wait to share. When the corn is not as fresh and sweet you can definitely use frozen . I used fresh tomatoes from the farmers market and fresh Olathe corn ( local in Colorado) but I happen to know Long Island has particularly good sweet local corn. So while the getting is good and you can get fresh vegetables please do so. Farm to Table here we go again.

I made this soup for dinner as an appetizer. I think it would be good cold but I prefer it warm.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 shallots , coarsely chopped or 1 large one

1 teaspoon kosher salt ( more to taste)

1/2…

Here’s a delicious chicken dish made with lime instead of the usual lemon. It has a nice little kick from the chili powder, and I just adore fresh cilantro. Now I know a lot of you are shaking your heads saying ‘ugh cilantro’, and quite honestly if you’re that cilantro hater this probably isn’t the dish for you. If you are a cilantro lover as I am, then go for it. It’s fresh and savory and super easy to make. I also love when you can combine all the ingredients in the food processor, as it makes for such an easy time. Also , Joel just loved it…who knew he’d like cilantro so much???

Ingredients: 

1 lb. skinless boneless chicken breasts (not too thick)

1/2 cup fresh lime juice

1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1/4 cup Dijon mustard

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 Tbsp. chili powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon…

Not sure why I said Breakfast Muffins because they would be great any time of the day, but I think of muffins as breakfast food especially muffins containing fruit. Had 2 containers of raspberries and a delicious muffin recipe from Barefoot Contessa , instead of strawberries which would also be awesome  I baked with raspberries. Can’t wait till the morning to have one with a fresh cup of coffee. I of course tasted one as it came out of the oven and it was pretty divine. Easy as could be, and no special equipment necessary! These will be on my Mother’s Day Brunch Table this May for sure.

*should make 16 – 18 muffins

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 /2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon table salt

1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

1 1/4 cups milk ( I used whole milk)

2 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten ( eggs should be…

Silpat

These are my go to chocolate chip cookies . I make these because I almost always have all of the ingredients on hand. I keep sticks of salted butter in the freezer just for these.  These are your basic chocolate chip cookie, I would say they are more crispy than soft. Unlike my other chocolate chip cookies  (cookies and milk which was published back on Feb. 28 ) which are very very crispy made with vegetable oil and super fine sugar.  These are an old fashioned chocolate chip cookie and if you don’t have dark brown sugar use light brown sugar . I think they’re meant to be made with dark brown sugar but sometimes I only have light brown sugar in the house so it will have to do. If you’re going out shopping for ingredients buy the dark brown sugar. Enjoy with coffee, tea or my favorite  a cold glass of…

It’s that time of year again when zucchinis are everywhere. I love to use them in breads, muffins and fritters. This morning I baked 2 zucchini loaves with the help of this recipe. It takes a lot of ingredients but it’s worth it. With the help of a food processor the zucchini is shredded in no time. Zucchini came from my friend Shelly’s garden and they were beautiful. If you have a friend who has some get a hold of it, or just buy it from the market. Breads are awesome because you can freeze them and take them out and bring back them memory of that summer day you baked them.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 cup sugar

1 cup lt. brown sugar (packed)

4 eggs, beaten

3/4…

I made this cake because I love blackberries and I had all the ingredients in my house. If you like blackberries, this is a light cake which will be perfect for dessert and not too heavy at all.  Clafouti is actually french for a cake made with cherries. If it’s made with blackberries or other berries it is called a Flaugnarde, which sounds super fancy and difficult to make and this is anything but that so we’ll just call it Clafouti! We aren’t going to get too technical here and I hope I don’t offend the French chefs out there. This is pretty much the same as the cherry Clafouti which I plan on baking soon and will post that once I’ve cooked that, but we have to wait for the cherries to be super ripe.  This cake is so very easy to make, requires no fancy equipment, and you can whisk ingredients in one bowl. Just use…

All these amazing fresh peaches from Palisades, Colorado and I am going to use them in something yummy , comforting and delicious. Part of life out here in Colorado is all the time outdoors with lots of biking, hiking and a little bit of golf. I don’t worry so much about all the calories and I have to say  with all the exercise I do out here I do indulge a wee bit more than I normally would. These muffins aren’t cloyingly sweet although I did sprinkle some turbinado sugar on top, which do add a bit of sweetness but not too much. The muffins themselves are really moist due to the buttermilk, and by all means you can use regular milk. I had low-fat buttermilk in the house and wanted to use it. These muffins would also be just delicious with blackberries, raspberries or blueberries. Who could resist these peaches though . It’s…