Manchego with Honey
I prefer to eat homemade foods. If I am asked to bring cookies for a school party, I bake them. If I am serving chili for dinner, I make it from scratch, not by opening a can. With that being said, I am not opposed to simple dishes, where one combines two ingredients without any cooking.
This past Monday I found a new simple dish through error. I attempted making a honey sauce to drizzle over Manchego (a sheep’s milk cheese). However, when it should have been ready, it was grainy. Although I tried to fix the sauce, it was beyond…
Cinnamon Biscuits
After taking a hike with two of our children yesterday, we decided to cook as a family last night. Having seen
a show recently that featured chicken-friend steak, we were craving that as our main course. With the Southern theme beginning, we chose to accompany the steak with homemade onion rings, wilted spinach, and biscuits.
While the guys were busy making the onion rings, my 10 year old daughter and I worked on making biscuits. Although biscuits can be delicious when made plain, I…
Review: Marion's Pie Shop, Chatham, MA
We decided to end our summer with a weeklong trip to Cape Cod with our family of 6 and my brother’s family of 4. Although we stayed in a 4 bedroom house with a regular-sized kitchen, I found it difficult to cook without my own tools. So, while on vacation, I indulged in baked goods not made by me. (Gasp! Michele served non-homemade desserts!)
Heading out for daily ventures, we drove by Marion’s Pie Shop. This little shop on the side of the road always had parking lots filled with customers, which piqued my curiosity. So,…
Fondue with an Italian Twist
If you read this blog frequently, you will know that Monday evenings are crazy in our house. This past Monday was even busier than usual, as our younger daughter had a doctor’s appointment at 5:30 about an hour from home. Therefore, not only were the adults going to have a late dinner, but so were the kids.
Although the kids suggested doing take-out, I thought I would make a quick dinner at home. With vacations and special events, there had been enough fast food already. As a trade, I offered to make homemade waffles, which was…
Restaurant Review: Tom's Gourmet Marketplace, Northborough, MA
On a recent Saturday night, my wife and I were invited to hear a friend perform at a place called Tom’s Gourmet Marketplace in Northborough, Massacusetts. Our friend, Steve Centorino, is an acoustic guitarist and singer and has performed at a variety of places, but few of the places could be as eclectic as this establishment. 
Tom’s Gourmet Marketplace has a little bit of everything. It is part coffee house, part bar, part gourmet food store, and part diner. It has the decor…
Review: Emeril's – New Orleans, LA
My wife and I are Food Network junkies. It is by far the most watched channel on our television and on nights where we deem the food TV offering to be inadequate (i.e. any night that Ace of Cakes is on), we don’t watch TV. So, on our recent “mini honeymoon” in New Orleans I wanted to make sure that we went to the flagship restaurant of one of the original Food TV personalities, Emeril Legasse.
On our first night in the Crescent City, we were able to secure an 8:30 reservation at Emeril’s. Emeril’s is located just outside…
Parmesan Crisps
In my last post, I described the Hawaiian-inspired dinner for two that I created. As I was visualizing the two dishes (a pineapple and soy sauce marinated pork tenderloin and cinnamon-sugar grilled pineapple) and the accompanying drink (a coconut and pineapple combination), it seemed that the meal might be a little too sweet. To balance the sweetness, I decided to make a side dish that had no fruit or sweetness. Also, as it was a late meal I wanted to make something that was light and quick to prepare.
Both of us love cheese, which makes an excellent contrast to…
Hawaiian Pork and Grilled Pineapple
With a live animal show at our local library, the kids needed to have an early dinner last night. However, with a work meeting scheduled for 6:30, the adults needed a late dinner. So, in the interest of making dinners that pleased everyone, the kids had hot dogs while I planned a surprise meal for the adults.
Thinking about our upcoming, though delayed, honeymoon to Hawaii, I decided to make foods with that flair. When I was at the grocery store, I found a special on pork tenderloin, which became the basis for our meal. I also purchased a pineapple to…
Restaurant Review: Petunia's Restaurant, New Orleans, LA
Everything has a history in New Orleans’ French Quarter. Every building has been around since the 1800’s, and the narrow streets that now teem with tourists allow you to be transported back to the antebellum port city. Today most of the buildings are home to restaurants, hotels, bars, and art galleries. One of these on St. Louis Street is an exceptional place to grab breakfast, Petunia’s Restaurant. 
Petunias is in the former home of Barthelemy Bacas, who was a cabinet maker…
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