Louise Cake with Plum and Coconut

My friend Sharon from Australia sent me Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh’s book, Sweet. Then this morning she texted me this photo of the Louise Cake with Plum and Coconut. It consists of juicy plums, almonds, with a coconut based biscuit topped with meringue. All I can say is YUM! I will have to get one of my daughters to make this for me!

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Hatch Green Chile Potato Salad

If you know me well, you know I have been obsessed with Hatch chiles for years. I used to buy 38 pound bags. They only come from the Hatch Valley in New Mexico. They have a very short season, typically from the first of August through the end of September. The Hatch Valley is believed to have the best terroir in the entire world to grow these particular chiles. And, did you know that green chiles contain 356% more vitamin C than oranges? Anyway, I could go on and on.... 

Supermarkets have jumped on the band wagon and are roasting them in their parking lots. I'm all for it. This Hatch Green Chile Potato Salad was one of the Hatch related things for sale I purchased yesterday. It takes ordinary potato salad to a whole new level in my opinion.

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Simple Marinated Chicken Thighs

My daughter Grace made these Simple Marinated Chicken Thighs, which uses a Vietnamese-inspired marinade, packed with fish sauce, brown sugar, and chiles, hits all the notes, and because it’s more paste than liquid, it clings to meat or seafood for major impact in a short amount of time.

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Mustard-Roasted Fish

We spent the most relaxing weekend at a friend's house in La Jolla, CA. We cooked, ate and didn't do a lot, which was just perfect. We found this incredible fish market called El Pescador and bought this Rock Cod, which is a small wild caught deep water rock fish, similar to red snapper. I made Ina Garten's VERY simple (5 minutes to prep and 10 to roast) Mustard-Roasted Fish. Serve it with your favorite roasted vegetables, baby potatoes, and a chilled Sancerre for a meal your friends will love.

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Cherry Tomato Confit

Confit comes from the French word confire which means literally "to preserve," a confit being any type of food that is cooked slowly over a long period of time as a method of preservation.  You can serve this Cherry Tomato Confit, and the flavorful oil, on bruschetta, in a pasta toss, on pizza, in sandwiches, as a steak topper, or in a whole-grain bowl.

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Potato Gnocchi

My friend Melanie and her sister Donna invited me to dinner last night to make homemade Gnocchi, which are delicate, pillowy potato dumplings. Their Italian grandmother taught them how to make these wonderful delicious gnocchi. There is a bit of a "technique" to master, but once you get the hang of it, they are easy and fun to make. You can serve with many ways. They served this with simple marinara sauce and freshly grated Parmesan.

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Homemade Breakfast Sausage

For some reason, I wanted to make my own sausage patties. These Homemade Breakfast Sausage are easy to make.  I keep them in the freezer to use for my egg McMuffin breakfast sandwiches. I used fresh herbs because I have no dried. You could also make these using ground chicken or turkey.

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Cucumber & Radish Salad in a Yogurt Dressing

This Cucumber & Radish Salad in a Yogurt Dressing is light and refreshing. Crunchy slices of cucumbers and sharp pungent radishes and a winning combination. Radishes have many health benefits. The one that interests me most is that they contain compounds that help purge cancer-causing substances and prevent the development of tumors. The crunchy detoxifiers are thought to help protect the body against colon, kidney, intestinal, stomach and oral cancer, in particular.

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Quiche Lorraine with Zucchini Crust

I don't know if you have noticed that I have been making a lot of quiche with alternative crusts lately. My husband was not exactly thrilled with the idea of a zucchini crust, but I did it anyway. The key is to make sure you squeeze ALL the water out of the zucchini. Here is a tip - it you have a potato ricer (if you don't, go buy one!), it is really good to squeeze water out of zucchini, spinach, etc. My potato crust works well too. 

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Italian Pot Roast Ragù

This Italian Pot Roast Ragù is made with shredded beef. It can be served over pasta or mashed potatoes. I served it with crusty bread to sop up all the delicious juices. I made this in an Instant Pot, but I always include the stovetop / oven version.

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