Perfect Guacamole This is how to make perfect guacamole at home, simple and fresh, better than your favorite Mexican restaurant. And you have to serve with homemade tortilla chips, you just do! Instructions included with recipe. Guac. Chips. Queso. Margaritas. Doesn’t that just hit the spot sometimes? That could easily be dinner for me. For most, though, …
Classic Hummus Classic hummus bi tahini recipe with mellowed garlic, sesame paste and chick-peas. A favorite Middle-Eastern spread served as a dip with pita bread. I first made hummus years ago when we lived in Chicago. Meathead raved about the hummus at an Armenian restaurant he often went to for lunch, Sayat Nova. I came across a classic …
Instant Pot Blackberry Jalapeño BBQ Meatballs Instant Pot Blackberry Jalapeño BBQ Meatballs, an easy sweet and spicy cocktail meatball appetizer for holiday parties or game day. I brought a jar of blackberry-jalapeño conserves home this summer because someone told me it makes great BBQ meatballs. You know, the sweet and spicy sticky ones often found on the party buffet table. So …
Southern Fried Green Tomatoes Easy, crispy southern fried green tomatoes, with optional spicy Louisiana rémoulade sauce ~ an iconic classic in the South. Last summer, a lot of people came to the farm stand I worked at for green tomatoes. Not the red, ripe ones we were famous for, they wanted the green ones for fried green tomatoes. …
Loaded Steak Nachos Loaded Steak Nachos! Seasoned steak and homemade tortilla chips layered on a sheet pan with cheese and beans, then topped with sour cream, guacamole and salsa. Who doesn’t love a pan of nachos? Or a plate, like my kids used to make after school. They’d pile chips on a plate, top with some shredded Mexican blend …
Fried Okra with Louisiana Rémoulade Summer farm-fresh okra soaked in buttermilk, dredged in seasoned cornmeal then fried, with homemade rémoulade sauce for dipping. Meathead and I went to a real dive last week for dinner. We heard they had good food so we checked it out. First, we had to eat outside because of the smoke. I reeked after just …
Insalata Caprese with Basil Vinaigrette Insalata Caprese, the quintessential Italian summer salad of fresh mozzarella and heirloom tomatoes, over mixed greens with a fresh basil vinaigrette. I just came off a weekend marathon of tomatoes, gorgeous heirlooms that I picked at a farm down the road. I made a Caprese salad Saturday night for dinner. While a traditional Caprese has a …
Texas Caviar Have you heard of Texas Caviar or Cowboy Caviar? I decided to try it over the long, rainy holiday weekend. It’s a dip, made with black-eyed peas, lots of other good stuff, and tossed in a garlic balsamic vinaigrette. At least that’s the version I made. Some Texas Caviar recipes call for corn, some for …
Hot Apricot Glazed Wings Ever since I tried making wings at home, I’ve been obsessed. I made chicken wings the first time with a stout beer and mustard glaze. Delicious, and I’ve been trying some new ways to glaze them. The cooking of the wings is the same, dredge in cornstarch and fry them up. I’ve tried a glaze …
Polenta with Mushrooms Years ago, many years ago, when we still lived in Chicago, one of our favorite restaurants was Vinci on Halsted. We went many times with friends or just for a date night. They had an appetizer on the menu, Polenta con Funghi. We always started with this polenta and mushroom appetizer. The waiter would bring it out …