by TT on February 1st, 2012 | Desserts, Recipes
While it may seem silly to be planning your Valentine's Day menu so much in advance of the day, there are some definite benefits. First, there's no need for last minute panic and shopping. Second, you have the opportunity to try the recipe before the actual day, so that you are able to perfect it. Third, if you make a sample round of the dessert, you get to eat an extra dessert!
This week's dessert idea is a wonderful combination of wine, pears, almonds, and mascarpone. Not only is it a delicious dessert, but it also has a beautiful presentation.
by TT on January 30th, 2012 | Soups & Stews
Having one person that is vegetarian in our house doesn't make meal planning difficult, usually. When there are four or more of us for dinner, I simply substitute the meat item with a non-meat protein, and everyone is happy. In fact, quite often I make two of the non-meat protein, as I enjoy a good number of vegetarian items.
The tricky times are when there are only three of us dining. It feels more cumbersome to make two different entrées for a party that small. Our of deference to our vegetarian, I make a meal that is vegetarian and (hopefully)
by TT on January 18th, 2012 | Desserts, Recipes
If I asked you what food you think of when I say Valentine's Day, I would be willing to guess that most people would respond, "Chocolate." Although I am not an adoring fan of that addictive treat, I appreciate that most people, such as my children, are. So, what better way would there be to continue our Valentine's Day series than with a second chocolate treat?
This week's recipe comes to us courtesy of
Chef Greg DeMichiel, who has been featured on WE TV's
My Fair Wedding and VH1's
Famous Food. With his recipe for Flourless Chocolate Cake you will
by TT on January 16th, 2012 | Breakfast Dishes, Recipes
My husband and I went to a fabulous winter farmer's market this past Saturday. Both the quantity and quality of products available were amazing. In addition to typical items, such as chicken eggs and root vegetables, there were veal, lamb, goat, ducks, pâté, lobsters, mushrooms, and greens. Being a bigger market, there were more cheeses and baked goods available than usual.
Obviously, visiting this farmer's market was quite a treat for us. Not only did we get to make some great purchases and sample some yummy tidbits, but we also found sources for illusive items, such as homemade sausage and
by TT on July 28th, 2009 | Appetizers, Recipes
While I thoroughly enjoy cooking and baking, sometimes the simplest of recipes makes the best dish. Over the past few weeks, I have found that to be true.
Last night, I decided to try a new recipe for baked ricotta. I was hoping for a flavorful dip that I could serve with lavash chips. To make this recipe two egg whites needed to be whipped until soft peaks formed. It seemed silly to use my stand mixer for 2 egg whites, so I whisked them by hand. While it wasn't tiring, it did require a bit of time, and when I
by TT on July 22nd, 2009 | Restaurant Reviews
Lazy weekend mornings and brunches are quite a pairing. While the advantage of staying in pjs as your make your own brunch at home is quite nice, the thought of having numerous food choices and no clean-up can make getting dressed worth the effort.
In an attempt to help those in the Northeast find the best brunch restaurants, I submitted a query to HARO (Help a Reporter Out) seeking recommendations for great brunch restaurants in New England and Upstate New York. Many, many recommendations were received and reduced to one restaurant per state. Unfortunately, Rhode Island and Vermont were not represented.
In
by TT on July 20th, 2009 | Recipes, Sandwiches
Recently, my husband and I have had more time to cook together on weekends. With less travel and fewer kid events due to summer, we have had more opportunities to experiment with new ingredients and recipes. As we both enjoy cooking, it has been a wonderful way to spend our free time.
After starting a Saturday morning watching food television, we were ready to do some cooking of our own. Having seen a feature on Greek food, we both were craving lamb and feta. The simple answer to this craving was to make gyros. We had lamb in our freezer and
by TT on July 17th, 2009 | Appetizers, Healthy Cooking, Recipes
Although I often refer to my husband's and my late Monday dinners as Tapas Night, not all of our meals consist of tapas dishes. We have had flatbread pizza,
fondue, and
salad, just to name a few alternate meals. However, for a significant portion of these dinners I make an assortment of appetizer dishes.
Although we vary our dinners, tapas is our favorite menu for this dinner. Eating appetizer-style dishes seems to lend itself to a slower paced meal, which is perfect when only two are dining. With the items brought to the table in their serving dishes, we
by TT on July 15th, 2009 | Healthy Cooking, Recipes, Salads, Side Dishes
Although I tend to be a planner, sometimes spontaneity can be quite nice. Late Friday afternoon, we went to the grocery store with no plan for our dinner. The only plan we had was to peruse our options at the butcher and base our meal around our meat choice.
After talking with the butcher, we decided to do a surf and turf combination of teriyaki steak tips and scallops. For a side dish, we wanted something that would compliment these items but that wouldn't take long to prepare. Being summertime and (finally) warm, a salad sort of dish seemed perfect.
I knew
