Cooking Method: Sautéing
Parmesan Crusted Swordfish with Lemon and Crispy Caper Sauce
My friend Mary Ann had an incredibly elegant dinner party and made this Swordfish. No on has formal dinner parties anymore. So many people put in "high-end" kitchens in their homes and never entertain. Mary Ann made everything seem effortless, but it was due to her advance planning and preparation. You could actually do this with different kinds of fish or chicken.
By - Prep: 30 mins
- Cook: 35 mins
- Yields: 6 Servings
Chicken Marsala
I had to cater a luncheon for about 35 people. It's an annual thing, so every year I have to come up with something different. I decided to make Chicken Marsala. I served it over buttered noodles. You can also serve with mashed potatoes. It was really easy and very flavorful.
- Prep: 15 mins
- Cook: 20 mins
- Yields: 4 Servings
Japanese Beef Curry
I love Japanese Beef Curry. To me it's like Japanese comfort food. There's something so deeply satisfying and soul-warming about it. Japanese curry sauce mix, often called "curry roux," typically comes in the form of solid blocks or powder. It's a blend of curry powder, flour, oil, sugar, salt, and various seasonings and spices. Vermont Curry and S&B Golden Curry are ready made and the two most most popular brands. These mixes usually have MSG. I prefer to make my curry from scratch. Though making the roux does take about 20 minutes to reach "color of a fox," as the say in Japan, a deep tan color. It’s well worth the wait!
- Prep: 20 mins
- Cook: 2 hrs 15 mins
- Yields: 4 - 6 Servings
Ham and Split Pea Soup
Every year I make some sort of soup using the ham hock from Christmas dinner. I happened to have a very large bag of split peas, which I like because you don't have to soak them overnight. Serve it with a loaf of crusty bread and a salad. You can just use chopped up ham, if you do not have a ham hock on hand.
- Prep: 15 mins
- Cook: 2 hrs
- Yields: 8 Servings
Pasta Florentine
Florentine, or the term à la Florentine, refers to a recipe that is prepared in the style of the Italian region of Florence. Over the years it has come to mean cuisine that includes spinach as an ingredient. I love making this for a crowd because it is vegetarian. This is a recipe that I have adapted over the years from a cookbook that my aunt Marjorie gave me from New Orleans called Artist's Palate Cookbook, New Orleans Museum of Art.
- Prep: 20 mins
- Cook: 40 mins
- Yields: 8 - 10 Servings
Sage Crusted Pork Chops
To Brine or Not to Brine, that is the question
Brining is a process similar to marinating in which meat is soaked in brine before cooking. Brining makes cooked meat moister by hydrating the cells of its muscle tissue before cooking, via the process of osmosis, and by allowing the cells to hold on to the water while they are cooked.
- Prep: 15 mins
- Cook: 15 mins
- Yields: 4 Servings
Chicken with Peach & Bourbon BBQ Sauce
If you like tender, falling off the bone chicken, then this is a must try. The recipe is loosely based on the Pioneer Woman's recipe. I changed it to bourbon and added some chipotle powder, which I think helps balance the sweetness.
- Prep: 20 mins
- Cook: 1 hr 45 mins
- Yields: 6 Servings
Frittata with Italian Sausage, Spaghetti & Tomatoes
I have made many frittatas in my day. It's a great way to use up leftovers. I found a recipe for spaghetti frittata in an elevator in downtown Los Angeles (you will have to click on the link). Anyway, I made this version last night and it was really good and very easy. What I like about frittatas in general, is that they can be eaten hot, warm, room temperature or cold.
- Prep: 20 mins
- Cook: 35 mins
- Yields: 6 - 8 Servings
Potatoes with Bacon, Apples & Onions
Eric, my husband, was in charge of the side dish to go with the Pork Chops with Figs in Hard Cider. He dug around in the larder and came up with this stellar starchy side!
- Prep: 15 mins
- Cook: 20 mins
- Yields: 6 Servings
Pork Chops with Figs in Hard Cider
Williams Sonoma recently posted a recipe for pork with figs. We have an enormous fig tree in the back yard and I am always trying to figure out ways to use them. The crows, squirrels and parrots get most of them. Anyway, I tried this recipe and used pork chops instead of tenderloin. It was excellent and I got to use up some more figs!
- Prep: 15 mins
- Cook: 30 mins
- Yields: 4 Servings
