Cooking Method: Simmering

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

Salmon with Lemon-Butter-Caper Sauce

This Salmon with Lemon-Butter-Caper Sauce is elegant and surprisingly simple to prepare. It's a classic French beurre blanc sauce, which basically are shallots simmering in a mixture of white wine and vinegar until the pot is nearly dry. Then cold cubes of butter are then added to enrich the sauce at the end.

By Leslie Blythe

Shrimp Caneel

This Shrimp Caneel recipe is something I used to make a lot when I was newly married. I often made it with chicken. It's a Caribbean inspired dish with a touch of curry powder. The recipe comes from one of my all-time favorite cookbooks, Beyond Parsley, the cookbook of the Junior League of Kansas City, Missouri.

By Leslie Blythe

Sweet, Sticky and Spicy Chicken

What could be better than Sweet, Sticky and Spicy Chicken? It's very fast and easy to make and guaranteed to be a hit the whole family will love. This chicken dish uses boneless skinless chicken breast and tastes delicious. Great as an appetizer or as a main dish served over rice.

By Leslie Blythe

Red Wine-Braised Short Ribs

These Red Wine-Braised Short Ribs are from Ina Garten's new cookbook, Cook Like a Pro: Recipes & Tips for Home Cooks. She browns the short ribs on a sheet pan, which saves time and mess. You sauté the vegetables while the ribs brown in the oven. Then they are all slow roasted in the oven.

By Leslie Blythe

Persian-ish Rice with Tahdig

Tahdig is a special Iranian cuisine with a crispy, browned layer of rice at the bottom of the rice pot that everyone wants. The bottom layer of the rice gets pan-fried while the rice above it gets steamed. There are a few ways to make tahdig. The simplest is to use plain rice. This recipe mixes the rice with yogurt to give it a thick, pasty texture before spreading it in the pot. It comes from Samin Nosrat's, Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking Netflix episode 4 - Heat.

By Leslie Blythe

Roasted Vegetable and White Bean Salad

This Roasted Vegetable and White Bean Salad recipe from Samin Nosrat is amazing. She said loves showing people that simple, humble ingredients can be extraordinarily delicious. It's so true!

By Leslie Blythe

Albondigas Soup

Family Traditions
Every Christmas eve, my wonderful mother-in-law made the most amazing Albondigas soup. I still carry on the tradition. She also serves tamales, which she used to buy every year from a secret source in East Los Angeles. I now make my own tamales!

By Leslie Blythe

Orange Bourbon Cranberry Sauce

This Orange Bourbon Cranberry Sauce is a fresh take on an old classic. It's really easy to make and it has so much more flavor than store-bought sauce.

By Leslie Blythe

Christmas Lima Bean and Mushroom Stew

I bought these Christmas Lima Beans online from Rancho Gordo. My friend Jennifer introduced me to these amazing heirloom bean producers located in Napa, California. I decided to make this Christmas Lima Bean and Mushroom Stew, which is a hearty vegetarian dish.

Christmas Limas are an intriguing variation on the traditional Lima. In Italy, you'll find them as Fagioli del Papa or "Pope's beans." Also known stateside as "Chestnut Lima" and sometimes even "Calico" beans. Whatever you call them, they've done a great deal to help fix the bad reputation of traditional Lima beans. They have a rich chestnut texture and an almost nutty flavor make this the most unusual Lima bean. A true revelation for those who believe they don't like Limas.

By Leslie Blythe