Cooking Method: Sautéing

Irish Beef Stew

This Irish Beef Stew uses Irish stout and is rich and hearty. The beef is incredibly tender. The stout beer really adds a great flavor.​ Perfect for a St. Patrick's Day meal!

By Leslie Blythe

Hearty Beef, Leek, & Barley Stew

This Hearty Beef, Leek, & Barley Stew is the ultimate in comfort food. I have made this recipe for years. It's from Gourmet LA, a Junior League cookbook. It is a stew that is simple to make and not your typical beef stew recipe. It is light and delicious for the chilly winter nights. Serve it with a nice loaf of crusty bread and a salad.

By Leslie Blythe

Pasta with Chickpeas and Za’atar

I was home alone and rummaged through my pantry and made this Pasta with Chickpeas and Za’atar from Yotam Ottolenghi's cookbook, Simple. Za'atar is a mixture of sumac, sesame seed and herbs used throughout the Middle East and the Mediterranean. It was the perfect dinner channel surfing in front of the TV.

By Leslie Blythe

Cranberry Bean Soup

I bought these Cranberry Beans online from Rancho Gordo. They are amazing heirloom bean producers located in Napa, California. I decided to make this Cranberry Bean Soup. These beans are absolutely incredible, very creamy inside. These beans are versatile and velvety, this thin-skinned Borlotti bean produces a rich, indulgent bean broth, making it perfect for classic Italian dishes as well as simple pot beans. The soup was so easy to make. I actually made it in a slow cooker.

By Leslie Blythe

Braised Red Wine Beef Short Ribs with Parmesan Polenta

My daughter Zoe made Braised Red Wine Beef Short Ribs with Parmesan Polenta. Browning and then braising the short ribs for hours in the oven makes them "fall off the bone" tender. The creamy Parmesan polenta is a nice alternative to potatoes or rice.

By Leslie Blythe

Cheesy Taco Casserole

This Cheesy Taco Casserole is a quick and easy to prepare for a weeknight dinner.  It's cheesy, meaty, and guaranteed to be a hit with your family!

By Leslie Blythe

Chicken Jerusalem

One day a chicken was walking in the woods when an acorn fell.... and the rest is history.We had some family friends (that would be you Shannon!) who--back in the seventies and eighties--entertained and when they did, their go-to "company's coming" dish was Chicken Jerusalem, fondly referred to in the family as "Chicken Yittel." For some of us, there is nothing better than artichokes except, perhaps, for artichokes and mushrooms swimming in a cream sauce redolent with sherry and chives. Enter Chicken Jerusalem, a classic dish of chicken breasts with mushrooms and artichokes in a white wine cream sauce. While we always make it with artichokes, there are some versions that call for Jerusalem Artichokes (Sunchokes) which are actually a tuber and not part of the thistle family like artichokes. The chicken is just a vehicle for this rich, unctious sauce. Although typically made with a white wine cream sauce, using sherry in this recipe gives it a rich, nutty, complex flavor--I use Dry Sack sherry which has an "off dry" slight sweetness and makes a perfect aperitif for the cook....... This is best served with a green vegetable and rice (our friends used chicken Rice-a-Roni--but then, it was the seventies after all). Chicken Jerusalem pairs well with a Loire white such as Vouvray provided it is a dry one--look for Sec-Sec or "dry dry" and their slightly less dry wines as Sec-tendres.

By Leslie Blythe

Spinach Madeleine

This Spinach Madeleine is incredible. A certain person at my dinner table who doesn't like spinach said, "Never in my life did I think spinach could be that delicious!" It's a good way to introduce spinach to your family.

This recipe is rather famous in Louisiana. It's from the Junior League of Baton River Road Cookbook. The original recipe calls for a roll of 6 ounces of Jalapeño cheese. Kraft Foods no longer makes it, so you can substitute 4 ounces of Velveeta cheese, cubed, and 2 teaspoons of minced jalapenos. I actually used Tillamook Pepperjack.

By Leslie Blythe

Broccoli Rabe with Parmesan and Lemon

Broccoli rabe or rapini is a superfood packed with vitamins and nutrients to fuel your meal. It boosts your immune system, supports heart health, improves digestion, protects your eyesight and detoxes. This Broccoli Rabe with Parmesan and Lemon is really quick and easy to prepare. Give it a try.

By Leslie Blythe

Green Beans Gremolata

Green Beans Gremolata is an Ina Garten recipe which uses French green beans or Haricots Verts. Gremolata is an Italian chopped herb condiment classically made of lemon zest, garlic, and parsley. This zesty sauce brightens the dish.

By Leslie Blythe