If you are anything like us, when autumn comes along, we start thinking of soups. This soup is one of our all-time favorite comfort foods for this time of year. We have made it many times, and after several variations, we think we have perfected this classic recipe. It is very easy to make and can be done within about an hour, plus it scales easily and reheats well.
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Rosemary & Dill Salmon
Hot summer day, time to grill outside again. There’s something about a backyard party with friends that inspires creation. We love salmon, and decided to try something new, with a few tried and true elements, with the addition of fresh dill. The results were a resounding success; salmon grills exceptionally well. Continue reading
Grilled Sesame Salmon and Vegetables
It was another warm spring day, and it is grilling time again. We don’t make fish enough, but I love salmon. It looked particularly appealing in the supermarket, so this was thrown together based on what else looked good in the produce section. The sesame oil is a piece of experimentation, which turned out successfully, especially on the vegetables. The pasta side is simply some rice noodles with a Thai peanut sauce (found on the international foods aisle). Continue reading
Shrimp Pasta Primavera Extravaganza
This time of year, this type of dish comes to mind; fresh vegetables always remind us of spring. We like to toss together a combination of vegetables and mix it together with some pasta and wine and have a light meal. Shrimp is a nice touch as well. However, this time we went a little berserk in the vegetable aisle of the supermarket and decided to add pretty much everything that came to mind. At one point during the cooking we felt some concern that there were too many vegetables as they seemed to be piling over the edge of the pot and the pasta had yet to be added (thus the “extravaganza” in the name, and it was no longer what one would call “light”), but this proved to be not an issue at all. The dish turned out to be a resounding success and all of the flavors worked really well together. We couldn’t stop piling extra helpings onto our plates and still have plenty of leftovers, which will make the next few days that much better. Here’s how we did it:
Mustard Chicken with Squash and Potatoes
This recipe came about one night out of ingredients that were already in the house. We were hungry, but the store was closed. I thawed out some chicken pieces and quickly threw this together. It has since evolved a little and now has become a staple. It goes well with kale and mushrooms as a side dish, as the sauce tends to bleed over and the flavors augment each other. This a good easy dish, and is great on a cold night or anytime.
Steak and vegetable skewers with couscous
On the first sunny Saturday of spring, the urge to grill was too great to resist. In the area of safe experimentation, I used a similar recipe that I had used in the past for swordfish. A good marinade seems to be something that can transfer from one medium to another, so I’ll probably use it again, maybe with some other sort of meat, or maybe with none. However, for the sake of simplicity I will describe how I made it this time. The meat and vegetables are served as one dish together, either on or beside the couscous.
Ribollita
One of our absolute favorites is soup that we learned about in Tuscany, known as Ribollita. This is a traditional peasant dish that is generally made up of beans, tomatoes, and whatever is in the garden, and some stale bread. It is delicous, filling, and very healthy. I love making this. This recipe is made up of a combination of ones I have found online, with a few personal touches (especially adding more and more garlic!) Continue reading
Wild Boar Basil 