This recipe was a product of the game “what is in my pantry that I can put in a risotto for dinner.” I had purchased some pre-cut squash and scallops at Balduccis (my favorite foodie grocery store when we lived in the DC area). I made squash and scallop risotto several years before when we lived on Capitol Hill using local apple cider as a marinade for the scallops. The result tasted like fall on a plate.
Quiches are a perfect way of repurposing leftovers from dinner into a delicious breakfast. The leftover caramelized onions and thyme from a chicken entrée the night before blend nicely with the leftover cheese from homemade macaroni and cheese. Feel free to substitute the cheeses for whatever you have in the refrigerator. In fact, this whole recipe is nothing but a framework for repurposing leftovers. Endless creative quiche-friendly ingredient combinations await you in your refrigerator.
I love themed dinners and replicating a TV dinner sounded like so much fun. Enter the proverbial meatloaf. I am not old enough to remember the Swanson ads for meatloaf with either tomato sauce or gravy, but I am old enough to remember when airplanes served dinner….in coach. I still have fond childhood memories of this microwavable airplane food dispensed in perfect proportions. I wanted to recreate the element of surprise that captured me during that first in-flight meal.
This is my lovingly adapted butternut squash soup. My father, mother, and husband ask for this soup every September. Recipes that are made year-after-year at the same time of year carry a level of nostalgia that just improves with time. I can no longer make this soup without thinking of my then two-year-old son licking the balsamic vinegar and olive oil from every unroasted tomato. The taste of the soup might be marvelous, but the memories are transcendent and priceless.
This creamed corn is a perfect side dish for a picnic or backyard cookout or BBQ. I struggle to find side dishes for BBQ chicken or pulled pork, aside from the traditional baked beans and coleslaw. Why not try creamed corn? Or why not serve the creamed corn alongside grilled head on shrimp? The flavors are reminiscent of shrimp and grits without the tedious “tending to the grits”. When you find the perfect square of grass to spread your picnic blanket on, I hope this creamed corn is in your picnic basket.
This recipe made me fall in love with heirloom tomatoes, which are often less acidic than their more traditional counterparts. The soup is more subtle in flavor than your traditional tomato soup and leaves you questioning the true ingredients. It is beautiful accompanied by a grilled cheese sandwich and glass of chardonnay.
“Leave the gun. Take the cannoli.” This is my favorite movie quote – ever – from the 1972 classic The Godfather. As the daughter of a Sicilian immigrant, I cannot think of a more iconic Sicilian dessert than the cannolo. The process of making cannoli is somewhat laborious. But don’t worry – this cheesecake is super easy and has all the flavors of a cannolo.
There is no better time than August to open a cold beer and cozy up by the grill to enjoy the last days of summer. My husband enjoys grilling anything and especially loves grilling vegetables. Which is great for me because by August I am floundering for a creative dinner to use the abundance of zucchini and squash that I have purchased at the local farmer’s market.
