by TT on April 23rd, 2012 | Appetizers, Side Dishes
I will start with a disclaimer. Do not make this recipe as a way of replacing french fries for people who love them. Although they are salty and have a similar shape, no fan of the french fry will think of these as an equivalent substitute. That being said, these green bean fries will be enjoyed when presented as a secondary salty snack or side dish.
Personally, I am not a fan of most french fries. They tend to be heavy in grease or oil and are unappetizing to me. So, for me, switching to green beans is an easy
by TT on November 16th, 2011 | Recipes, Side Dishes
Every family has their traditional side dishes. As a child, my mom always made the classic green bake, complete with cream of mushroom soup and french fried onions. It was guaranteed that you would find a baking dish of it somewhere amongst all the other dinner items.
While there is nothing wrong with continuing traditions, it also is nice to infuse some creativity into the meal. To help with this I am sharing two different vegetable dishes from talented chefs. Both include classic Thanksgiving ingredients, winter squash and pumpkins, and should receive rave reviews. Why not give one a try?
Pumpkin
by TT on November 11th, 2011 | Recipes, Side Dishes
Earlier this week, I shared two different
stuffing recipes: one that has a base of focaccia and one with a base of wild rice. Unique and flavored with their own set of ingredients, they are sure to please. Today, I have two more stuffing recipes, but these have a common theme: cornbread. However, neither of these recipes are plain old cornbread stuffings. One recipe has an assortment of wild mushrooms and hazelnuts, while the other stuffing has foie gras, morels, and figs.
With these four fabulous stuffing recipes from which to choose, it makes planning the Thanksgiving menu a
by TT on November 9th, 2011 | Appetizers, Recipes, Side Dishes
Spending four days last week without power was an interesting experience, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been. Although we didn't have power or hot water, we had access to many conveniences. We were able to cook on our stovetop, as we have a gas stove. We were able to recharge our laptops for brief periods, as we purchased a car-based charger. We had heat, as we had turned our fireplace on before the power went out. However, we were without hot water, and we only had a fully lit house during daylight hours.
While I didn't enjoy
by TT on November 8th, 2011 | Recipes, Side Dishes
As regular readers know, I am not a chef. However, I have a great passion for working in the kitchen, trying new recipes, and playing with food. Therefore, almost every recipe I post is one that I have created. The other recipes that I post are classics from family and friends, which I use regularly in my own cooking.
For the next three weeks, I am going to do something different. Each week I will be highlighting Thanksgiving recipes from over a dozen chefs. While I have my own recipes for family classics, it seemed even better to offer a
by TT on January 30th, 2009 | Appetizers, Recipes, Side Dishes
With a French theme started for Monday night's tapas dinner, we needed to create a dish to compliment the
Chicken Cordon Bleu Meatballs. The meatballs seemed like they could be a pinch on the heavy side, so I wanted to make something lighter, most likely with a fruit or vegetable basis.
To be honest, I couldn't think of a light French vegetable dish off the top of my head. And as I was in somewhat of a rush to plan this menu with other more pressing items on my schedule, I didn't have time to do research. However, what did
by TT on January 28th, 2009 | Appetizers, Main Dishes, Recipes
With almost every Monday night being a tapas night for my husband and me, we have tried many different menus. Sometimes it is nice to return to a menu or dish that we liked, but other weeks we like to try a new set of recipes. This Monday was one of those nights.
To make planning easier, both of us usually like to start with a theme, whether it be choosing an ethnicity, region, or style of cooking. I suggested a French theme, which has had little representation in our dinners. My husband questioned whether we could make a meatball that
by TT on January 26th, 2009 | Recipes, Salads
Most days I make some sort of salad or veggie wrap for my lunch. Typically I stirfry broccoli, peppers, and whatever other vegetables are available. However, last week as I looked in the veggie bin in our refrigerator, a stirfry didn't seem appealing.
Of course, I didn't realize that I wouldn't be in a stirfry mood when I went grocery shopping, so I already had a few bunches of broccoli waiting to be used. Trying to keep my lunch healthy, I wondered how I could use this broccoli in my lunch in an alternate way. I decided to give broccoli salad
by TT on January 20th, 2009 | Food News
Last fall my husband and I enjoyed a two week honeymoon on the islands of Kauai and Maui. While on
Kauai, we toured the
Kauai Coffee Estate. We enjoyed a self-narrated tour of the orchards and were able to sample many varieties of their coffee at the visitors' center.
As both of us appreciate a good cup of coffee, we were hooked on their brew instantly! Conveniently, Kauai Coffee has a coffee club available, which was perfect because we only could fit a few bags of their coffee into our suitcases. Starting in November, we would receive a bag
by TT on January 16th, 2009 | Healthy Cooking, Main Dishes, Recipes, Side Dishes
On Wednesday, I found myself in an unusual situation: I was going to be alone for dinner. With my husband away on business and the kids not home until after dinner, it would be a party of one for my evening meal. Needing to retrieve the kids at 7:00 didn't leave much time for a dinner date with a friend, so it was definitely a single gal sort of night.
With only my dining preferences to be considered, I mulled my options. I could order take-out food and eat it at home. I could go to one of my favorite restaurants
