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
zucchini
Stuffed zucchini
This is a fairly easy and fast dish, that should please just about anyone. It is vegetarian, but many who prefer meat may not even notice the difference. We made this last weekend as a side dish, but it can very easily work as an entrée as well. While some of the basics were found online on various sites, there were some creative touches added which worked pretty well. The entire thing can be made in about half an hour. 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:
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 