Chicken with Artichokes in Creamy Mustard Sauce

This Chicken with Artichokes in Creamy Mustard Sauce is all done in one skillet. It's a simple recipe that gets real depth of flavor by adding broth, white wine, Dijon mustard and a touch of cream. We had leftovers, so the next day I cut up the chicken and served it on spaghetti for lunch!

By Leslie Blythe

Creamy Polenta with Sautéed Apples, Mushrooms, & Calvados

This Creamy Polenta with Sautéed Apples, Mushrooms, & Calvados is a warm comforting dish for a chilly night.
Calvados is apple cider that has been distilled into Brandy, which highlights the sautéed apples and mushrooms.
Polenta is made from cornmeal and is gluten-free. However, if you’re making this for someone with Celiac disease, be sure that the polenta you buy is labeled “gluten-free” so that you can be sure there hasn’t been any cross-contamination with wheat.

By Leslie Blythe

Italian Orange Slices

Our friend Melanie taught us this method of making Italian Orange Slices. They are simple and yet are incredibly delicious. We happen to have an orange tree in our backyard that is bursting with fruit. You can also add sliced red onions, olives, oregano, or fresh basil, which is more like the Sicilian recipe.

By Leslie Blythe

Creamy Coconut-Lime Salmon

We made this Creamy Coconut Lime Salmon and were blown away. The funny thing is that we did not have any canned coconut milk, but used cream of coconut instead, which I think is meant to be used for drinks. We watered it down and it worked, though next time I will buy some regular coconut milk. The combo of fresh ginger, lime juice, basil, peppers brightens everything up. It's certainly something we will make again.

By Leslie Blythe

Spicy Garlic Butter Linguini

My brother David is an amazing cook. They just moved into a house in Connecticut that happens to have a Viking range with a griddle. It's killing me not to be able to see him and cook with him in his fabulous kitchen. Anyway, he has been raving about this Spicy Garlic Butter Linguini recipe, which I am dying to try.

By Leslie Blythe

Basil-Butter Steaks with Tomatoes and Broccoli Rabe

My brother David sent us a fabulous box of Omaha Steaks, which are incredibly tender and delicious. We made Basil-Butter Steaks with Tomatoes and Broccoli Rabe for dinner, which was easy and outstanding.

By Leslie Blythe

Cauliflower-Cheese Pie with Grated Potato Crust

This Cauliflower-Cheese Pie with Grated Potato Crust is a recipe from the Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen, which was written in 1977.  It was listed by the New York Times as one of the top ten best-selling cookbooks of all time. She was a pioneer in vegetarian cuisine. It's very dated and yet right on par with what we all should be thinking about - using simple ingredients to create an interesting and delicious meal.

I brought this cookbook with me when I was a newlywed in London. I always write notations in all my cookbooks and this particular recipe said it was a definite "make again". We have been strictly quarantining in our home this past week and happen to have the ingredients to make this. It had been years since I did, and now I wonder why it took me so long to revisit this.

By Leslie Blythe

Cheesy Pan Pizza

This Cheesy Pan Pizza recipe was developed at King Arthur Flour. It uses a number of simple techniques to achieve maximum texture and flavor. The dough is folded a few times and then refrigerated. This helps create the airy crust. The pizza is then cooked in a cast-iron skillet, which makes the edges brown and crispy, and layering the cheese and sauce creates an extra cheesy top with no soggy layer. You can add your own favorite toppings.

By Leslie Blythe

Polish Sausage, Sauerkraut and Pasta Bake

This Polish Sausage, Sauerkraut and Pasta Bake had my husband's name all over it. Oddly enough, I had all the ingredients. It's actually quite delicious and I think the next time I make it, I will use diced par-boiled potatoes instead of pasta, but it was good, it's up to you.

By Leslie Blythe

Italian Style Soffritto Garlic Spread

I happen to love crushed red pepper flakes, so much so, that I have many packets in my purse at all times. I literally can't eat pizza without it. I recently bought Trader Joe’s Italian Style Soffritto Seasoning Blend* and love it. My husband Eric made this Italian Style Soffritto Garlic Spread on some leftover dinner rolls the other night. It was SO good, actually a little too good!

*If you do not have access to a Trader Joe's you could make your own Soffritto. The mixture consists of dried minced onion, tomato flakes, sea salt, dried minced garlic, crushed chili peppers, parsley flakes, crushed red pepper, dried sage leaves.

By Leslie Blythe