Pesto with Italian Grill Cheese

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Pesto Spread

with Italian Grill Cheese

Pesto with Italian Grill CheeseTraditional Basil Pesto used as a sandwich spread. This may go quickly during your Fourth of July Celebration. So, you may want to double the recipe. The garlic taste is pronounced. I have family who say they’re allergic to garlic but really just want a great flavor without tasting garlic. How does that work?! If this is your thought process this recipe isn’t for you. Pesto is versatile. Use this recipe as a pasta sauce for linguini. Mix in a bit of plain Greek yogurt or sour cream for a great addition to roasted meats. This is a great topping for crostini too. Enjoy my friends!

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Linguine and Clams

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Linguine and Clams

For Two

Linguini and ClamsYou have 12 and one half minutes to prepare dinner and what do you do? You fix this! My foodie partner and I love pasta but no cream please (for him) … or rarely. This rich sauce has the flavor without the heaviness. If your herb garden is not what you’d hoped just add dried herbs instead. Hope you enjoy this rich tasting Clam Sauce as much as we do. As for the wine I’m a Pinot Noir fan and am guilty about pairing with just about everything. Have you noticed you can see through this varietal when you hold up your glass to light, or maybe not? When you can’t it is most likely a blend. Nope, it is my understanding this doesn’t need to be on the label. So depending, this varietal can be a little heavier than expected. We’re having this wine here. Delicious!

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Harvest Bread

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Harvest Bread

harvest BreadA not too sweet dense bread packed with all sorts of good things. Eat alone for breakfast or tea. Or have this as an accompaniment with stews and soups. Use Fiori Di Sicilia for a noticeable orange flavor or vanilla extract for a subtle flavor. An easy healthy recipe for family and friends.

 

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Portuguese Sausage and Sauerkraut

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Portuguese Sausage and Sauerkraut

Slow Cooker Style

Portuguese Sausage and Sauerkraut Ask my brother if there’s a perk to being the family patriarch! He might just mention this dish. I’m celebrating Father’s Day with one of my brother’s recipes. We don’t have to think alike to enjoy those family traditions! And everyone in the family seems to have a different opinion right now! Oops! Enjoy this amazingly hearty but not too heavy for warm weather recipe. It’s a slow cooker classic. Yep, Dan makes his own sauerkraut too. I’ll be taking that up another time. Enjoy some of these previously posted recipes my brother has shared with me while the crock pot does all the work. Linguica is one of our key ingredients. The variety we use here, Raven Brand, has less fat in my opinion. Important when not precooking. And paprika? I doubt it. Check them out, here. Located in the small town of Armona, California.

And Happy Father’s Day!

Dan's Recipes

Wheat Loaf

Deep Pit

Linguica

Sopas

Wild Duck

 

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Fruit Bars

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Fruit Bars

Fruit Bars

Very proud of this makeover. It’s a makeover for two reasons. I’ve used leftover cake crumbs, and secondly, this cookie is a cousin to a Hermit bar. This all came about while reminiscing with a friend about an old town bakery long gone. Their Fruit Bar, no confirmation by the owner, was whipped up with leftover cake crumbs. I’d never heard of such a thing … replacing flour with cake crumbs. I guess this is a practice in some bakeries. I say when the outcome is like this one, DO IT. Thank you Debbie!

Why is it when I have a great recipe to show off I can’t seem to get a great picture!

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Bangers and Mash with Onion Gravy

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Bangers and Mash with Onion Gravy

Bangers and Mash with Onion Gravy

When Gayle mentioned she was going to have Bangers and Mash I knew she wasn’t planning a trip to Bakersfield … My only Irish Pub experience (not exactly true, Boston too). I found myself yearning for the experience without the travel. So, at 930 this morning I had Bangers and Mash for breakfast. The truth is once a week, Wednesdays, I do a thorough pantry and refrigerator/freezer check for outdated items. My potatoes were stored too close to light and were beginning to sprout. The onions were showing a little stress and I clearly needed to cook the sausage soon. Gayle’s comment was the spark! Enjoy this easy fix meal with pantry items we all have … In no time.

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Cream Cheese Bars

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Cream Cheese Bars

Cream Cheese Dessert

A very hard dessert bar to beat! Replace lemon juice with 1 T Limoncello Liqueur and add a few pinches of lemon zest. You have Limoncello Bars. Want even more Limoncello replace a bit of the cream. Click here for my Cheesecake Bar Recipe.

Limoncello Topping

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Limoncello Topping

 

Amazingly simple topping for cakes, cookies, pies, ice cream, fruit, fruit ices, crepes. You get the picture! I love lemon and chocolate … And have served my topping over a brownie crust ice cream pie. Sounds time consuming? Simply bake your brownie recipe in a pie plate, cool, spread with softened ice cream or sorbet, and refrigerate for two hours before serving with the cooled Limoncello topping. That’s it! I have a couple of brownie recipes if you need one, Blondies and Brownies. If you use a boxed mix my suggestion is Ghirardelli or Barefoot Contessa just as noted in Cook’s Illustrated.

Our ice cream is melting in our 103 heat … So let’s get on to the recipe.

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Limoncello Chocolate Dessert

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Limoncello Chocolate Dessert

Adults Only Please

LimoncelloThis looks more like a drink. Just a teaser until the dessert is finished. Try it! Limoncello


Estrada’s Style Macaroni

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Estrada’s Style Macaroni

Look Alike Taste Alike

Getting close to breaking the code! Just know this recipe is a knock off. The basics of the recipe are similar to the original but some of the products I suggest weren’t even available 100 years ago. In fact, the pasta here lacks the size (diameter) of the Estrada’s macaroni. The secret in part is to cook the pasta past the al dente stage to produce a softer larger noodle. This recipe can be tweaked and maybe even made more healthy in the eyes of some. In 1914 when this restaurant was opened the food experience was different and this recipe is meant to recapture that moment in history. Thank you Debbie for one of the original Estrada’s pitchers … And too helping with the taste test. I have made some changes after this taste test. The roux is all important.

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