Old Fashioned Pot Roast takes a little while to make, but the flavor and the tenderness of the beef and vegetables make it all worth the effort. It seems like folks these days are so interested in quick and easy that they forget how delicious slow and steady can be. Don't get me wrong. Quick and easy plays a significant roll in my nightly dinner line up. We often have ...
garlic
Classic Caesar Salad
Classic Caesar Salad isn't hard to make, in fact it can be a simple and inexpensive salad to accompany dinner. Top it with grilled chicken or salmon and it makes an excellent dinner! I've been a little obsessed with classic Caesar salads lately. Maybe it's because it so hard to find a really good one. Or maybe it corresponds with my other new obsession, anchovy paste. It ...
Pizza Pasta and the Incredible Shrinking Woman
Happy New Year! I'm only about 2 weeks late on that one. I hope 2012 has gotten off to as good a start for you as it has for me. For the first time...ever I think...I have stuck to my resolutions so far. The most exciting part? I've lost 5 pounds. WooHoo! Five down, 25 to go. I've been putting a lot of focus on not eating like a pig and not drinking like a fish, both of which ...
Red Wine and Garlic Braised Beef Shanks
Red Wine and Garlic Braised Beef Shanks are a rich, heavenly slow-cooked dinner with lots of meaty flavor. It's like pot roast on steroids. Make this for your next Sunday supper or fancy sit down dinner. You are sure to be thanked. There are some meals that are so unbelievable that you can do nothing but moan through every bite. The kind of meal where the sheer joy of putting ...
Green Tomato Salsa Verde
My tomato plants have been good to me this year. While everyone else in town has been complaining about a horrible year for tomatoes, my 3 tomato plants have kept me and my family knee deep in juicy ripe tomatoes all Summer. So, now here it is October and the first frost is expected to come tonight and that means the end of my hard working tomato plants. It took me two trips to ...
Dinner on the grill
Officially or not, Summer is here in Tennessee. It has been 95 + degrees every day for the last 2 weeks. Our mornings are spent outside in the garden or just enjoying the brief cool part of the day, while the hot afternoons are spent in, on or around some kind of water activity. This past week we were enjoying our vacation on Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas. We all spent ...
Country Garden Update and Cilantro Lime Grilled Chicken Salad
So 3 weeks of rain was followed by 5 days of searing heat, then... more rain. All of this wishy washy weather has been reeking havoc upon our allergies but the garden doesn't seem to mind much. Especially the broccoli and lettuce. We have been eating off of those plants for the last week or so. Especially the lettuce. I have certainly been adding more fiber in my diet. The ...
Tuna Tuesday: Tuna, Spinach and Bacon Penne
Whew! It's been a couple of weeks since I have done a Tuna Tuesday post. Tuesday keeps sneaking up on me! Anyway, I wanted to show you guys this quick and easy dinner dish. It is packed with a lot of flavor and is a perfect way to use some of the spinach that you can find everywhere right now. If you don't have fresh spinach, feel free to use frozen spinach that has been ...
Rosemary Garlic Foccacia Bread
Life without bread would be dismal. Even those who are allergic to gluten find ways to have bread. And ask anydieter and you will find that they crave bread. Bread is just so delicious, so satisfying. Adding garlic, herbs, and olive oil to bread sends it into another realm entirely. When the heat hits those aromatics your entire house fills with the intoxicating smells of yeast ...
Purple Parsley Potatoes
Say that 3 times fast. Purple Parsley Potatoes. Purple Parsley Potatoes... I can't even type that 3 times fast. Anywoo, I bought these cute purple potatoes at the store last week. They were on sale, but still a bit of a splurge. I just couldn't resist the color. It's just so PURPLE! How can you not want to eat a purple food? It's impossible not to be at least a little ...
Baked Potato Soup and Hot Ham and Swiss Sandwiches
Baked Potato Soup and Hot Ham and Swiss Sandwiches are excellent on cold nights, casual get-togethers, sick days or football parties. They just go together so well! You can substitute leftover baked potatoes or cook some up in the microwave instead of the oven if you want to make this dish a little faster. Christmas has finally come and gone. The kids are slowly coming ...
Italian Bean and Tuna Salad
This Italian Bean and Tuna Salad is a great make ahead lunch dish! I don't know about you guys, but since the holiday season started a little over a month ago, I have gotten reacquainted with my fat pants. I hate getting reacquainted with my fat pants. They make me feel fat. Oh I can still squeeze myself into my regular pants, but I look like one of those gigantic muffins in ...
Chicken Stock and Chicken Noodle Soup
Chicken stock is one of those basic kitchen practices that everyone should know. It's probably THE kitchen practice to know. It is liquid gold. It's a thing of beauty. It's full of flavor and it's delicious. It's also dang near free if you make it yourself. With Thanksgiving coming up, you are going to need a lot of chicken stock. I bet the average American spends $10 - $15 ...
Corn and Potato Chowder with Bacon Grilled Cheese
My blogging buddy, Heather over at Gourmet Meals for Less, has teamed up with her sister to do a series called Sister Saturdays. And this Saturday is all about soup. And I love soup. So I took the challenge to make a delicious soup worthy of Gourmet for Less. Of course the one thing that goes with soup is a sandwich so I had to make a sandwich too! And of course everything is ...
Fried Egg over Pasta
Cheap, easy and totally satisfying. Fried eggs on top of pasta is the best way to make an inexpensive dinner seem chic. This post has been updated I have a secret love affair with fried eggs. I just think they are sexy. Culinary speaking of course. There is just nothing better than cutting in to an over easy egg and watching it ooze all over the plate. Just begging for a ...