Tangy Roasted Vegetables

Lovin’ all these summer vegetables and a few quarters of red potato roasted in a sweet & sour herb marinade. For me this is a main dish when sprinkled with small dollops of cream cheese. This is one of the best tastes in roasted vegetables, guaranteed.

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Guacamole Spread

Just made these amazing Vegetarian Burritos. Yes, they go Vegan easily! With all these veggies in my garden I was thinking Vegetarian at least for the summer.  The burritos can hold their own without this spread but it’s a great option. Why call it a spread? Well, I added a bit of vegenaise, and more spice than the usual guacamole (another recipe here). Leave off the vegenaise, or substitute sour cream or mayonnaise instead. Anyway you try this, you will be hooked. It’s just plain good!

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Vegetarian Burritos

Garden vegetables and the perfect spice combination make this a great meal. A warm flour tortilla slathered with Guacamole Spread and filled with al dente veggies is just a delicious summertime or anytime meal. I’m thinking next time no carrots, maybe add chayote, and fresh roasted poblano & a little fresh diced jalapeño in place of canned green chilies … but this has enough heat as is for most. Not a heavy meal but guaranteed to satisfy the most avid carnivore. And can go totally vegan too!

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Old Fashioned Buttermilk Pie

A recipe gone a little bit wrong! It wasn’t the Buttermilk Pie recipe or even the Gingersnap Crust recipe … It was in the baking! The crust lifted into the filling during baking! The taste was amazing but I hadn’t intended the crust to become a topper. Didn’t I press the gingersnap crust into the pie plate firmly enough? That’s a possibility because after my failure or success, depending how you look at it, I did a search for buttermilk pie with crumb crust. It does work! The crumb crust seemed more inviting with this pie … Gingersnaps because of the spice … And who likes a soggy crust? Conventional crusts tend to get soggy with this pie filling as with custard pies. Would I try this combination again? Possibly! But the next fallback is my cheesecake crust instead. And while I’m talking about cheesecake this pie has a similar taste, tangy sweet. The texture is a little different but not by too much.

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Penuche Frosting & Buttermilk Cake

This is what you make for family dessert when the buttermilk is about to expire! This gal isn’t into drinking it straight up as Martha’s daughter said her mother secretly is, right from the carton. Buttermilk makes for a deliciously moist cake, one that doesn’t dry out a day later. I baked this cake in one 8 inch by 3 inch round but I really don’t recommend it. It was easier to frost but took extra time in baking leaving the edges a bit thick and firm. I recommend a 9 inch square or two eight inch rounds. As for the frosting, interestingly, it is believed penuche originated in Portugal and found its way to New England, right where my Grandmother Rose was raised. This butterscotch maple flavored frosting is just perfect with this cake. My Grandmother taught her new daughter-in-law by doing in the kitchen. This is another recipe Mother picked up, and we loved and still do!

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Goulash American Style

 

More about using garden tomatoes. Actually, lots was going on here not excluding real hunger! Wanted to use up the tomatoes and bells from my garden. Wanted comfort and cozy. And wanted to revisit a recipe from the distant past. I took an old recipe I cooked as a child and made it a little differently. Yes, the fresh Roma tomatoes made a difference because Romas are just sweeter and make a great creamy-like sauce.

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Spinach Salad Filipino Style

Not sure how or why but a friend and I got to talking about food. Ha. While eating and drinking last night Roselyn mentioned a salad (& the recipe) she frequently ate as a child. It sounded so simple and good I had to try it. She was absolutely right about this side salad! It’s delicious. Don’t tell her but I used pre-washed fresh spinach. She said it wouldn’t be the same without fresh bunches of spinach … not pre-washed. This was pretty darn good, Roselyn! Check out a few of her other recipes she has shared, here and here.

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Portuguese Tomato Soup

Can’t believe I ate the whole thing! I didn’t but wanted to! Deliciously Simple! Not into linguica try chourico!

Still working on my garden Romas … Just a few pounds left before I need to harvest again. Any good tomatoes will do for this tasty Portuguese Soup. Romas just happen to be my favorite. The few ingredients here come together, including the hot linguica, to make this a truly satisfying lunch or dinner. (For vegetarian try this Portuguese Spicy Tomato Soup too.) Today’s recipe can easily be a 30 minute to table meal. Maybe even 20. Your family will love it so much you better double the recipe!

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Calabrian Macaroni

The perfect Pasta Sunday meal for 5-6, the size of my usual gang. What do I know about Calabria? Not a whole lot! Lucia gave me unsolicited cautionary advice about the men but too late. Ha. I must say being friends with my guy is much easier than the romance. Oops! His love for Italian food and cooking is hard to resist. Yep, his family is from this region. So, what makes this pasta dish Calabrian … The Calabrian peppers and the long macaroni … all of it!

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Romas

Right from my garden! When thinking of a juicy tomato this one is probably not brought to mind. These are my favorite tomato just for that reason. I love the low moisture sweet meatiness of a Roma. Great for bruschetta but when your plants are this prolific you can only eat so much bruschetta. The sweetness of this tomato is great for sauces, no added sugar needed. It’s been awhile since I’ve had a pasta Sunday. It’s time! Be on the look out for my Calabrian Macaroni. Most ingredients are already in my garden. See you Sunday!