It’s a Thursday Two-fer! Two burger recipes in one day. This one is a riff on a family recipe for ravioli stuffed with a mixture using German Bockwurst (what my family called “box sausage” because it was purchased at the market in boxes). It makes a great hamburger, especially when served on good Italian bread,…
Category: The Cafe – Meals, Snacks & Drinks
Mushroom Blended Burgers
It’s officially burger season…fire up the grill! Bored with the same old burgers? I have a new grilled hamburger recipe for you to try out; Mushroom Blended Burgers. The mushrooms lend flavor and moisture and stretch the ground beef a little further. If you aren’t a beef eater, simply substitute ground chicken or turkey. Let’s…
Very Versatile Skillet Puff Pie
In a pinch over meal ideas in this time of quarantine cooking? Here is a simple dish that comes together quickly, tastes great and can be served for breakfast, lunch or dinner! An added bonus is it can be prepped and cooked in the same pan! I came up with the idea for this puff…
Duxelles
Pronunciation: Duk-sell A fancy but easy French saute or paste traditionally made from any variety or combination of mushrooms, shallots, cream and/or wine. Named for the employer of 17th century French chef Francois Pierre La Varenne. Here in the United States we would probably call it mushroom dressing. Duxelles sounds so much nicer. It…
Bock Beer Grits & Chicken Skillet
I love this meal for a cold winter’s night. How can you beat chicken cooked in a skillet? This combination of chicken, grits, mushrooms and beer will warm tummies and hearts and get dinner on the table in no time! Skillet grits cook more quickly and absorb liquids differently, giving them a more toothsome texture…
Farmer Pancakes ~ Easiest Pancakes Ever!
My son and I have been reading the book “Farmer Boy” by Laura Ingalls Wilder. The book is based on her husband, Almonzo’s life growing up on his family farm in upstate New York. Her description of farm, family and community life during the mid 1800s is a wonderful history teaching tool! After reading about…
Making Homemade Granola
There are so many good brands of packaged granola on the market these days, it’s a no-brainer just to buy it instead of making it from scratch. However, if you have food allergies or loved ones who have them, finding a brand you won’t react to can be difficult. Thankfully, granola is so easy to…
Skillet Garlic Cauliflower ~ Simple Sides
I know…cauliflower recipes are everywhere these days. And…it is not a vegetable that really has much flavor. But…this recipe is too quick, easy and flavorful to pass up! First…buy fresh cauliflower at the grocery store. The frozen stuff is okay if you can’t get it fresh but you’ll have to steam it first, let it…
Last Tomatoes of Summer Pico de Gallo
Happy September! It was 61 degrees here this morning. Our first morning reminder from Mother Nature that summer is ending. Every where I turn there are signs of the changing of the season, like the little dinging notifications on my phone ~ something needs attention! Last week we pulled all of our tomatoes out, except…
Leftover Remoulade = Remoulade Pimento Cheese
What do you do with leftover Homemade Remoulade? Well, it’s basically spiced mayonnaise. Sooooo…what better mayonnaise is there to make pimento cheese with? Pimento cheese is the peanut butter of the South. Mayo, cheese, sweet roasted red peppers slapped between two slices of soft white bread or on top of crispy saltines (preferably Sunshine brand)….
Homemade Remoulade
One of my daughters loves remoulade so much, she asked for a batch of homemade remoulade for her birthday last week! We’ll eat it on just about anything, but her favorite way is with easy oven fries (cut potatoes into cubes or spears, drizzle with olive oil, salt, pepper and fresh chopped rosemary and bake…
Vidalia Onion Summer Salad ~ Sumac Substitution
Early summer always includes a visit to the library to sign my son up for summer reading. He comes home with an armful of I Spy books, while my haul usually consists mostly of cookbooks. This year, my armload of cookbooks wasn’t necessary with the growing selection of ebooks through the library website. I’m midway…
Nesting ~ Sesame Tofu Salad
Yesterday we had a drab, rainy kind of day. A day for staying in and tidying up or working on inside projects. My projects for the day were cleaning up my sewing kit and hemming a pair of old cutoff khakis for shorts. My projects were small in comparison to the wrens building a nest…
Do You Tofu?
I do. High protein, low fat, good source of iron and calcium. It takes on the flavor of whatever you cook it with. What’s not to like? Ok, yes, it is soy. A legume product. Beans. A vegetable. But, it’s good for you, and easy and cooks quickly. What’s not to like? No, don’t give…
Wild Garlic in my Pumpkin Quinoa Soup
Spring is popping up all over here in Georgia! Today’s temp will come close to beating a record at 75 and it really seems like we are 4 weeks ahead of past spring seasons. In the yard, the jonquils are already up and bobbing in the breeze, smiling in two tones of pale yellow. The…
Cincinnati Chili Pies & A Chili History
I did some research on the history of Cincinnati chili and found resources that pointed to several immigrants who infused their chili with spices and served it over spaghetti. The dish went viral and others imitated, leading to a plethora of chili parlor chains in the Cincinnati area. Indeed, ask Tri-State people (southeastern Indiana, southern…
Cincinnati Chili ~ A Culinary Talisman
I have two very distinct Cincinnati Chili memories. The first is walking into my Grandma’s house (through the kitchen screen door) and being greeted with the kinda funky, stinky, spicy smell of something cooking in a huge pot on her stovetop. I waltzed over to the pot and peeked at a tall pot of boiling…
World Health Day ~ Jerk Chicken Soup
Happy World Health Day! For dinner tonight, I decided we should have something hearty and healthy in honor of World Health Day. Something warming too, as a bit of cold weather has returned. Soup was the answer, jerk chicken soup! Actually, I intended to call this jerk chicken chili, but my husband was insistent that…
Muscadine Glazed Ham
I used my Muscadine Nectar in the glaze for my Easter ham, replacing the honey called for in the recipe. It was a sweet, southern substitution that had me pigging out (pardon the porky pun) on the brown, caramelized, scraps while I carved it! For this ham, purchase a good quality smoked, bone-in ham, seven…
Cinnamon Buckwheat Biscuits
Today was supposed to be bread baking day as we’re down to two pieces of bread in the freezer. Unfortunately, mother nature has brought us 80 degree temperatures today and I really didn’t want to heat up the kitchen too much with baking. That would mean I would have to turn on the air conditioner…
Super Sides ~ Balsamic Braised Carrots
Carrots illustrate the height of pickiness in my family. Some of us prefer them cooked, some prefer them raw. When I serve them as a side dish I like to either pan saute them or braise them in the oven so they are cooked, but still have a bite to them. My kids love them…
Easy London Broil Dinner
We’ve had two days of 70 degree weather and tonight I fired up the grill! On the menu, London broil with grilled asparagus. I use the term London broil loosely here, as it doesn’t necessarily refer to a dish from London, or to a cut of beef but to a cooking method. Generally, marinating then…
Simple Salsa
Simple to make and nutritious, salsa is a great pantry item to have on hand for snacks, meals and for forming the base of sauces, soups and chili. I make my own once or twice a week using fresh tomatoes in summer or canned in winter. Need a quick meal? Saute chicken rubbed with salt,…
Lentil & Chickpea Stew ~ International Year of the Pulse
Today I’m participating in Blogger Action Day for The International Year of the Pulse. What are Pulses? Legumes, or beans and peas. But not just any legumes. Pulses are specifically bean and pea crops grown solely for use as a dried bean or pea food crop. So fresh black eyed peas would be considered a…
From Scratch Ranch Mayo
We all have food memories, good ones and bad ones. Both kinds tend to stay with us forever, and influence our future food choices. The memory of a good Bearnaise lingers through several of my food memories. An average hotel luncheon that was elevated by a good Bearnaise flavored with fresh tarragon. A happy company…
Sesame Snow Peas
I’ve been trying to incorporate more green veggies into my diet and am getting tired of the same old same old. Broccoli be gone! Don’t even speak to me about kale! I know it is the darling of the food world but I don’t care for it (I love the less glamorous spinach and arugula),…
Veggie Avocado Noodle Bowl
This isn’t a recipe really, more like a process. If you have stock/broth and noodles on hand you can turn anything you have into your refrigerator, freezer or pantry into a noodle bowl. I had my Homemade Avocado Pasta Dough rolled into noodles and I had homemade vegetable broth. I pulled out my saute pan and…
Homemade Avocado Pasta Dough ~ Vegan
This recipe offers a vegan alternative to traditional handmade pasta by replacing whole egg with fresh avocado! You still get your dose of healthy fats for delivering fat soluble nutrients, but without cholesterol. It comes together very easily and aside from a short rest in the refrigerator prior to rolling, gets you to the table quickly….
Vegetable Broth ~ For Flavor & Nutrition
Vegetable broth is so quick and easy to make and so healthy and flavorful, there’s no reason not to have it in stock (pardon the pun) in your freezer or fridge! Use it as a base for soups, stews, gravies and sauces. Add it to your macaroni and cheese, alfredo sauce, mashed potatoes or breads…
Homemade Marshmallow Fluff
Make this recipe and you’ll never by store bought marshmallow creme again! I like to use vanilla paste to flavor this because I love the vanilla flecks visible in the fluff. You may substitute vanilla bean when you are making the light sugar syrup, or simply use vanilla extract. Homemade Marshmallow Fluff 3/4 cup granulated…
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