Gin Flambéed Olives

Proceed with caution!
I would suggest making these Gin Flambéed Olives outside! These are very good, if you like olives, though I would urge you to invite a firefighter to your party!

By Leslie Blythe

Mini Cheesecakes

Turn cheesecake into irresistible finger food with these delicious Mini Cheesecakes. Instead of cherry topping, you can also top them with an assortment of jams and preserves, such as strawberry, blackberry and apricot. These are a great dessert for parties and potlucks.

By Leslie Blythe

Coq au Vin in a Slow Cooker

Coq au vin is a French dish of chicken braised with wine, lardons (or bacon), mushrooms and pearl onions. More traditional versions of coq au vin have the sauce thickened with rooster blood at the end of cooking - yeesh! You will be pleased to know that I did not thicken my sauce this way!

Browning the bacon, chicken and vegetables briefly before adding them to the crock pot creates deep rich flavors in both the chicken and sauce. Serve with a crusty baguette.

By Leslie Blythe

Fagioli Al Uccelletto “Tuscan Baked Beans”

These are the beans I served with the Italian-Style Slow-Roasted Pork Roast with Oranges & Onions . They go perfectly with it. You can use canned beans instead of soaking the beans overnight, if you want to make it easier. These beans are a typical dish from Tuscany, particularly in the Florence area.

By Leslie Blythe

Beef & Broccoli in a Crockpot

When I'm really busy and need something to throw in the crockpot, this Beef & Broccoli in a Crockpot is the answer.

By Leslie Blythe

Spinach Quiche (Crustless)

Try this easy Crustless Spinach Quiche. Serve it with a simple salad for brunch, lunch or dinner! There are many variants of quiche, including a wide variety of ingredients. Variations are, for example, quiche au fromage (quiche with cheese) and quiche aux champignons (quiche with mushrooms) or conventionally: florentine (spinach); provençale (tomatoes); and so on. I love the endless possibilities and the fact that it can be eaten hot, warm, room temperature or cold. This is perfect for a hot evening served with a salad.

By Leslie Blythe

Salmon Burgers

A friend of mine gave me a very nice piece salmon and this recipe for salmon burgers. They were SO good, I will be making them again. If you want to pack as many nutrients as possible into one meal, salmon is a good choice.

By Leslie Blythe

Steel-Cut Oatmeal for the Freezer

Steel-cut oats are far superior to instant or rolled oats. The texture is better and they are less processed, which means they are better for you. Steel-Cut Oatmeal for the Freezer is an easy and healthy breakfast. Just microwave a serving every morning!

By Leslie Blythe

Italian-Style Slow-Roasted Pork Roast with Oranges & Onions

This Italian-Style Slow-Roasted Pork Roast with Oranges & Onions is falling off the bone, juicy and tender. You can make tacos with the left over meat.

By Leslie Blythe

Cherry Pavlova

My daughter Zoe made this superb dessert and wrote this blog post.
A Pavlova is a meringue-based dessert and is the perfect vehicle for many fruits; cherries, lemons, and strawberries to name a few. Another great thing about a Pavlova is that you are granted quite a bit of liberty—which, if you’re a baker, you know is fairly rare. While the recipe for the meringue itself is untouchable, what you put on it is completely up to the baker. In addition to a simple cherry syrup drizzled on top, there is a layer of sautéed cherry halves soaked in apricot liqueur hidden beneath lashings of whipped cream. Again, this was an independent choice I made as a means to use as many cherries as possible and can therefore be toned up or toned down. Pavlovas can be made on a large scale—as seen here—or on an individual scale, which invites an opportunity for variety. Great for parties or even just family dinners, a Pavlova can be made hours in advance so there is no in-between-dinner-and-dessert hustle or fuss.

By Leslie Blythe