Artichoke Melts

Here's a different idea for lunch. We tend to have a lot of grilled cheese sandwiches, and that gets rather boring. So to change it up, try these Artichoke Melts. I always have cans of artichoke hearts in the pantry. It has slices of hard-boiled eggs on the bottom and is topped with a mixture of artichoke hearts, cheddar cheese, Dijon mustard, mayo, garlic powder, and some dill before going under the broiler until it's golden brown. Yum!

By Leslie Blythe

Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter

My friends Jennifer and Heather reminded me of Marcella Hazan’s Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter recipe. It’s one of the simplest, sweetest most delicious tomato sauces. It takes only 5 minutes to prep and then simmers on the stovetop. She recommends using it on gnocchi, spaghetti, penne or rigatoni.

By Leslie Blythe

French Onion Cauliflower

I love French Onion Soup and decided to take the idea and transform a head of cauliflower. It turned out rather delicious. I caramelized some onions and topped the florets with some Gruyère cheese and croutons. I went back into my archives and found my recipe for French Onion Chicken Meatballs, which is also a winner.

By Leslie Blythe

Arancini

I have never been a fan of leftovers. However, I do like to turn leftovers into a completely new dish. These Arancini are a perfect example.

Arancini are the epitome of southern Italian street food. They are stuffed with mozzarella, dredged in breadcrumbs, and deep-fried. They are great as hors d'oeuvres dipped or served on a bed of lettuce as a light lunch.

By Leslie Blythe

Risotto with Beef, Rosemary, Sage and Barolo Wine, Alba Style

Marcella Hazan's cookbooks are wonderful and are credited with introducing the traditional techniques of Italian Cooking to the US and the UK. I stumbled upon this recipe for Risotto with Beef, Rosemary, Sage and Barolo Wine, Alba Style. I love risotto and have made it over the years using the traditional endless stirring technique, the oven method, and actually in an Instant Pot. If you want to hang out in the kitchen while drinking wine and do it the traditional way (that is, when my husband does the stirring!), it can be quite cathartic. Typically, I make mushroom or butternut squash, but this risotto has a small amount of ground beef. It's really delicious. The red wine/beef combination marries surprisingly well with the creamy Arborio rice. The sage and rosemary really deliver on the flavor front and take the whole thing to a new level. Alba in Italy is known around the world for its Barolo and Barbaresco wines and is situated in the northern Piedmont region.

By Leslie Blythe

Ramen Noodle Salad

Yesterday for lunch, I made this Ramen Noodle Salad. It's another one from Chrissy Teigen's book. She calls it Dump and Done Ramen Salad. I have made many salads using crushed up uncooked ramen noodles. It adds a lot of crunch and nice texture. I have adapted it to suit my tastes, like using green onions instead of red onions, etc. You could add some cooked shrimp or chicken to add protein to this salad. It's absolutely delicious and very adaptable to your own tastes.

By Leslie Blythe

Creamy Parmesan Skillet Eggs

This recipe for Creamy Parmesan Skillet Eggs is from Chrissy Teigen. Oh, to be her, lounging around the house in silky pjs with John Legend! My friend Alice gave me a stack of cookbooks that someone was throwing away. I have to say, this book is genius. I told my husband to go through a put post-it notes on the recipes he wants me to make, which is practically every page! And yes, he stares at the photos of the lovely Sports Illustrated model. Anyway, back to the recipe. I made several changes - 1) no salt needed, because parm has a lot of salt already, ditto for butter - I used unsalted. 2) I only used one egg. 3) I finished it off under the broiler.

By Leslie Blythe

Buffalo Chicken Nachos

Well, for starters, I'm not a huge football fan. I only watch the Super Bowl for the ads and typically root for the team that is winning. I'm only half paying attention, though I do provide good snackage! I used to make my late mother-in-law a plate of nachos while she watched the USC games. She loved nachos and I loved making them for her. I always enjoyed hearing her screaming "GO, GO, GO!" This is a rather long-winded intro to my Buffalo Chicken Nachos, which is a variation of the traditional nacho recipe. You can make this buffalo chicken in the instant pot or a slow cooker. There was also the infamous Buffalo Chicken Pizza Incident, which you can read about...

By Leslie Blythe

Alabama Slammer

The Alabama Slammer is a cocktail that gained popularity in the ‘70s made with vodka, Southern Comfort, sloe gin, and orange juice, served in a Collins glass. This harkens back to a time when strong, sweet drinks were all the rage (the infamous Long Island Iced Tea is another ‘70s sledgehammer of a drink). Back in the day, it seemed like boisterous bars catering to a younger crowd (Carlos-n-Charlie’s, I am looking at you….) churned these out by the gallon.  If you are feeling like having a retro, fruity drink with a real kick, the Alabama Slammer is the perfect choice.

By Leslie Blythe

Pasta with Shrimp, Mushrooms, Tomatoes & Spinach

The other day I made this Pasta with Shrimp, Mushrooms, Tomatoes & Spinach. I had these random ingredients including a bag of shrimp in the freezer. You can totally change the ingredients and use, chicken, peas, sun-dried tomatoes, etc. Use whatever you have on hand. The sauce is white wine, lemon juice and a bit of half & half, which is lovely and tangy.

By Leslie Blythe