Sautéed Broccoli Rabe

Broccoli Rabe, also known as rapini or, “broccoletti” in Rome or “friarelli” in Naples is a common vegetable in the cuisines of southern Italy, especially in Naples. The flavor of rapini has been described as nutty, bitter, and pungent. Rapini is often sautéed with garlic. In Umbria and other Central Italy regions, rapini is sautéed with garlic, chili pepper and guanciale (guanciale is an unsmoked Italian bacon prepared with pig's jowl or cheeks) is a typical side dish for porchetta, grilled pork ribs and sausages and other pork dishes.

By Leslie Blythe

Spinach Salad with Limed Pepitas and Dried Cranberries

Spinach Salad with Limed Pepitas and Dried Cranberries is delicious! Pepita (from Mexican Spanish: pepita de calabaza, "little seed of squash") is a Spanish culinary term for the pumpkin seed, the edible seed of a pumpkin or squash. The following recipe is based on Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger's recipe from The Boarder Grill in Los Angeles. Their version of this salad uses pomegranate Seeds and jicama. Also, if you are serving buffet style spinach is a good green to use. It's less delicate than lettuce and doesn't go as limp. I had never "limed" a pepitas before, but now I hooked!

By Leslie Blythe

Artichoke Spinach Pasta Casserole

I tried this new version of artichoke spinach pasta. If it contains artichokes and lemon, then I make it.

By Leslie Blythe

Chicken & Mushroom Casserole with Crunchy Stuffing Topping

Chicken & Mushroom Casserole with Crunchy Stuffing Topping is a recipe I concocted. To me, texture is key. I love things that are crunchy! I happened to have a half a box of leftover stuffing mix and decided to use it up. You could make this ahead and bake it later. Love that!

By Leslie Blythe

Sticky Toffee Date Cake with Bourbon Glaze

I made Ina Garten's Sticky Toffee cake from her Cookbook, Foolproof. You should have been there to hear the OMGs! All I can say is WOW and yes, it's Foolproof! PS - I used a springform pan, which worked beautifully.

By Leslie Blythe

Chick-Fil-A Chicken Nuggets

I've written about Chick-Fil-A before. I am not a fan of Chick-Fil-A as a company. They have a 65 year history of doing business according to Biblical principles. Enough said....

Unfortunately, their chicken is really good. Instead of patronizing this restaurant, I make it at home.

By Leslie Blythe

Sautéed Japanese Eggplant

Sautéed Japanese Eggplant is a very easy side dish. I made this earlier and served it at room temperature. Everyone LOVED it!

Japanese eggplant is the Western name given to dozens of Japanese eggplant varieties, both heirloom and hybrid. The most common of these varieties are Millionaire and Orient Express, both long, slender oblong shaped eggplants with glossy, purple-black, thin skin. The interior cream colored flesh is spongy and nearly seedless. Japanese eggplant's flavor is mild and because it is nearly seedless it doesn't possess that bitter quality found in Western and Thai varieties.

By Leslie Blythe

Nobu’s Miso-Marinated Black Cod

I made this Kaiseki style dinner. Kaiseki or kaiseki-ryōri is a traditional multi-course Japanese dinner. The term also refers to the variety of skills and techniques used to prepare the dishes. We had this Miso Marinated Black Cod several times while we were in Japan. I really like it. It's very mild and sweet tasting and easy to make. The main thing is that you have to marinate it for at least 24 hours or up to 3 days.

By Leslie Blythe

Tamale Pie

This Tamale Pie takes less then 5 minutes to throw it in a casserole dish! The Trader Joe's "tasting station" is a place for some culinary inspiration. It's where they hand out samples for you to try. I almost always buy whatever they are demoing. It was this tamale pie. I am not a big fan of polenta (unless it's crispy), but I have to say I really liked this dish. It's something you could have in your pantry. You could even make it vegetarian by using vegetarian chili instead of chicken or turkey. The original recipe calls for a jar of their Cowboy Caviar, but I actually used the corn salsa instead.

By Leslie Blythe

Moroccan Chicken with Apricots, Almonds & Chickpeas

This wonderful Moroccan chicken dish is meant to be cooked in a tagine. A tagine is a unique type of ceramic or clay cookware that's popular in Morocco. The bottom is a wide, circular shallow dish used for both cooking and serving, while the top of the tagine is distinctively shaped into a rounded dome or cone. The word "tagine" also refers to the dish which is slow-cooked inside the cooking vessel. Typically, a tagine is a rich stew of meat, chicken, or fish, and most often includes vegetables or fruit.

However, you can easily make this dish in a Dutch oven or crockpot.

By Leslie Blythe