I call these ‘Tuscan’ potatoes because I’m in Tuscany, in a small villa with a very limited kitchen and virtually no spices other than sea salt and pepper.  Now outside the villa is a small garden, which, like Br’er Rabbit, I’ve gone into and raided!  There’s gorgeous basil, rosemary, spring onions, Italian parsley, lettuces and more.  These tender baby golds can ... Read More »

Our days in Tuscany in the Chianti area have been marked with a huge meal in the middle of the day at a fabulous restaurant somewhere in one of the many medieval villages that are sprinkled only a few miles apart.  When we return back to villa, we have yet another glass of wine, maybe some cheese and bread…after a couple of ... Read More »

Grilled Chicken with Sun Dried Tomatoes Balsamic and Arugula…just had to do that translation for you!  I’ve created this recipe while staying in Tuscany~~Ben and I have a small villa, so we did some meager grocery shopping~~you know, just few things for snacks, breakfast and maybe a dinner in.   Well, here’s what was created with just a few ingredients, ... Read More »

For me food in its most natural state is like works of art~~I mean even the stems of the green beans, the small parts of the vines on which they grew, the ends of the green beans which are usually snapped off~~after they’ve been washed and cleaned, I just leave them on!  Yes, you can eat them~~your choice~~I see design ... Read More »

I spent a lot of time, money and energy on entering recipes into the first category, Doable Dinners,  of the 2013 Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest…now I’m not whining sour grapes, but I was really surprised that not one of the six I entered made it to the semi-finals…such is the life of a contest junkie who spins wheels hoping to hit ... Read More »

What happens when you buy the big bag of whole walnuts from Costco?  Well, you do a lot of dishes and recipes with walnuts!  Of course, you can just put some in a bowl and eat them randomly as you pass by, and that’s exactly what I was thinking when I created these sweet and salty walnuts~~I wanted to put ... Read More »

Some dishes don’t need much explanation!  This is one of those recipes~~with some leftover grilled chicken breasts, I decided to cut them into chunks, open a few cans of cannellini beans, then start tossing in good fresh tomatoes, diced poblanos and lotsa smoked paprika~~what I got was a deliciously rich and hearty shhhhoup that ate like a stew!  Fixed a ... Read More »

I’m a veggie oven roasting fanatic!  Within in a short amount of time in a hot oven, your veggies caramelize, the sugars come out, and the flavors burst like exploding stars!  These Brussels sprouts also are packed with even more taste bud tingles with the chili mixture and the cumin!  I’m especially fond of the burned charred leaves…course I love burnt potato ... Read More »

What I’m finding about bread-making is that it’s not as hard as you think!  Now, I do mine the ol’ fashioned way~~knead with my hands~~don’t even own a bread-making machine!  There’s just something tactile and luscious about getting your hands into the sticky dough, flicking on more flour, pushing and folding, using the heels of your hands, and working the ... Read More »

This sweet and savory crispy thin crust ‘pizza’ is refreshing!  When you have the tender sweet mandarin oranges burst on your palate as you take a bite, it combines with the saltiness of the broccolini and creaminess of the whipped cream cheese to make you want to not swallow but just keep chewing basking in the flavors.  It doesn’t take ... Read More »