I had sworn to not be one of those women who fell apart when they were about to turn forty. Who would sit and marinate in all her faults or failures: the shoulda, coulda, woulda’s. I said for yeeeears I wouldn’t be one of those women because, and this is true, I don’t believe in…
Author: Allison Biasella
A Naples, FL transplant from “up north”, married to an Italian. A self-taught cook, a sometimes singer, a photographer and an aspiring writer. But mostly, lately, a cook.
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mini eggplant pizzas
So it’s Tuesday and there’s nothing really notable about this day. Sure, it signifies the end of Monday but, there’s not even a cute Tuesday wine reference like Thirsty Thursday or Wine Wednesday, or a memory hashtag like #TBT or #WBW. Tuesdays are the new Wednesday of the week: a forgotten hangnail of a day…
butternut squash and nutmeg ricotta wonton raviolis with a sesame brown butter sage sauce
I don’t know how it happened that I ended up with a tv in every room of my home, including an iPad set up in the kitchen and an extra tv just hanging out (though hidden) under my massive desk made from a dining room table in the second bedroom. It’s awaiting its forever home…
creamy corn soup with citrus rosemary cornish hen and pistachio snow peas
When I first told Joe that I was going to be making us Cornish hens, he literally laughed. I absolutely took it personally until I found out his family would have these baby hens every Christmas, and he was wondering what took me so long to make them. In truth, it took my making my…
shrimp wellington with steamed asparagus spears and a tarragon béchamel sauce
I love a wellington… any wellington. They look so impressive but they’re really just pockets you stick things in, heat up and serve. They’re the simplest thing and I wrestled with the idea of posting about them because it’s like admiting the emperor has no clothes. Anyone who may have been impressed or intimidated by…
breakfast in bed: chocolate pancakes, brown butter sauce, spinach, cheese and pesto croissants, fruit, hazelnut coffee and fresh vanilla cream
I always have to start my mornings with coffee… I’m not a huge tea person (though the right kind can be lovely). Blame my father; I have very solid memories of his drinking coffee every morning. I’m a fan of flavored coffees and in this case, I used almond milk and added fresh vanilla to…
pretty in pink, shrimp charcuterie tray
Cheese. Enough said. For the most part, I’m a massive fan. You put cheese and creamy marinated artichoke hearts on a shiny silver tray with other goodies and a gorgeous full bodied wine, and I’m not going anywhere. Let’s be honest, if you’re avoiding this heat, use a charcuterie tray like this What a gift…
pesto potato casserole with fresh basil and mozzarella, zucchini noodles with dill and grated parmesan
”Meatless Mondays” was started by someone, or maybe even a company of someones trying to redirect the public from the overconsumption of meat. This was an honorable endeavor, in my opinion. There are so many yummy ways to give meat a rest on this most unpleasant of weekdays. Pasta is one of the first ideas…
berries in puff pastry with goat cheese and ricotta, soft scrambled eggs with spinach, dill and avocado
Brunch is an absolute treasure to me. I don’t know when it was invented or where… At some point someone decided to create this time honored tradition of champagne, eggs and something decadent. Long live this glorious nod towards gluttony, excess and day drinking. Pink champagne is fun, it matches the strawberries and is much…
panko fried scallop over polenta discs, with a roasted red pepper sauce and marinated artichoke heart salad
I’m not sure there is anything you can’t fry. Shouldn’t fry? Maybe. But can’t… not convinced. I try not to fry too much, and certainly never deep fry. While I’m not a big scallop fan, nor am I the big scallop fan (sea scallop over bay scallop), lightly frying these and placing them over a…
toasted coconut mahi mahi with a lime avocado mousse
I don’t usually follow fads. When the new “coconut oil everything” trend started I ran in the opposite direction; I wanted nothing to do with it. I like the taste of coconut but usually, when these things happen, it’s a saturation of epic proportions which for me, is a complete turn-off. Same with pumpkin spice…
honey bacon wrapped tarragon shrimp over a pineapple disc with dill and tarragon mayo
On most days I just stare into my teeny tiny pantry and wish things into existence. It doesn’t work of course but, I do sometimes find things I forgot I had and make some miracle I can later play off as planned. I don’t remember what day I decided to make this little miracle but,…
smoked gouda cauliflower “mashed potatoes”
I love mashed potatoes. I love any potato. When I first started using cauliflower to curb my cravings, is when everyone else did. I think most of us ran to cauliflower to cure all our carb problems. I’m not sure who first saw the potential of the cauliflower but until then, I wasn’t making much…
panko fried tomato caprese with sliced almonds
A quick dinner for Joe after a long walk… Reminiscing about old movies I loved while growing up. “Fried Green Tomatoes”: really struck a chord with me. As I got older and watched it again and again, I got from it more and more. We should all do that; revisit things now that we’re older…
steak cooked in a brown butter sauce, basil sautéed snow peas and garlic, rosemary, sour cream mashed potatoes
I used to stay completely away from red meat. Not just because I was convinced it was bad for me, but also because I never really knew what to do with it. Save the usual ground beef, steaks were a mystery to me. I then learned (and quite quickly), how truly archaic a man’s appetite…
sweet onion split pea soup with basil, parmesan panko fried flounder and a mustard lemon vinaigrette (variation)
I am getting a bit of cabin fever. I have never really had it before and prided myself in not being someone who goes stir-crazy in one place for an extended period of time. That being said, I’m going a little mad stuck in my condo day after day, night after night because of these…
dinner party and chess, feast before battle
When I was in college I had a boyfriend who tried in vain to teach me how to play chess. He did his best to be patient with me however, I simply would not stay still and focused; too interested in the mundane basic boring things (like what party at which fraternity house we were…
smoked salmon avocado toast with coddled eggs and champagne
I feel as though the construction work on our building will never end. Ever. Granted, it’s not just our building; it’s the entire community “compound” but, the new roof shingles have taken well over a year to replace. It has been an ongoing noise onslaught which has driven me to drink. This includes during today’s…
chicken cordon bleu, brussel sprouts and walnuts with a lemon dijonnaise
Chicken has been something of a crapshoot lately. I never know what is safe to eat anymore. What are we really eating… Is “organic” really organic? You can drive yourself crazy overthinking every company. Once you’re sure you’ve found a good one, there’s a recall. In the end, you just do the best you can….
have luggage, will travel
I first started wandering when I was young. I would say that’s like “most people” however, as I have gotten older, I have realized not everyone was prone to wandering at a young age. Some kids sat quietly alone, or they played with other children. Some kids didn’t do either; they just latched themselves to…
split pea, lima bean soup, strawberry, shrimp and almond salad with a mustard lemon vinaigrette
Whenever I have leftovers it’s mandatory to get them eaten. I don’t know why I feel that way; more often than not, food tastes better when they’ve sat in their juices or herbs for a day or more but, I cannot make them more enticing than if I were to cook something new. If we…
soy ginger scallops, wilted spinach, baby potatoes and a strawberry almond amaretto crumble
The storm off the gulf is pounding us with rain, more than the usual amount we get in Florida this time of year. I’m thankful for it. The storm keeps the construction workers on their toes and rushing off roofs in a screaming frenzy because they wait until the most deliberate painful last minute, only…
petite turkey kielbasa wellington with rosemary potatoes and brussel sprouts over a tarragon, sesame sauce
Sometimes I get it in my head I was born during the wrong era. I should have been alive during Victorian times, when everyone ate abundantly (well, the wealthy did anyway – which I would obviously be in this fantasy), wrote long loving poetry and took walks with parasols. They’d paint mindlessly, gossip and drink…
parmesan, dill tuiles with garlic shrimp and fresh basil
Another week has passed and we’re already headed towards mid-July. The days are hotter and oppressive. These are the months when I wonder why I live in Florida. The relentless sun drags on and on, until it’s well into the tomb of the evening and you’ve dug into your couch so long it no longer…
basil and parmesan panko fried flounder, baby greens with a mustard lemon dressing
Fried food isn’t usually my thing. I probably should admit this up front. When I do fry things they don’t then ordinarily go over a salad. Today I felt like I needed a change; something about the start of a new week does that to me. I wanted to try to lighten things up and…
semi-sweet chocolate chip biscuit cookies
I’m not a baker. I repeat: I am not a baker. If you want a cake, I can make a cake. If you want cookies, I can do that. If you get all specific and crazy like “creamy in the middle” or something, you can go to a bakery. I do try however, to make…
roasted acorn squash two ways ~ as a creamy soup and with smoked gouda and fresh basil
I don’t talk much about squash. I don’t crave it, I don’t think it’s “been too long” since I’ve last had it… Let’s just say it’s not a staple in my marriage. With that though, I don’t treat it carelessly when we do buy it and I’ve worked really hard to get this right. I…
fresh lemon and dill pasta, sautéed shrimp with basil and garlic
I have never met a pasta I didn’t like. In fact, my pasta preference has gotten me into some trouble as I also really like clothes… Nevertheless, my relationship with this carb has been an overall positive one and I have experimented with it greatly. In my vast catalog of experience I’ve found, I prefer…
citrus rosemary roast chicken, artichoke avocado salad with a homemade berry dressing
So I will admit something… I had never attempted a roast chicken until Prince Harry got engaged. To be honest, I was intimidated. The size of it, the inside being in a bag (or not), would it fit in my Mini Smart Oven… (we use our standard oven for storage). When I saw the Meghan…
orange italian margarita
Typically, we drink wine, Pinot Noir and Sweet Red are our favorites. This evening, an end to a rather wet humid week, I decided to surprise my husband with one of his creations: The Italian Margarita. This time, with orange. The Skinnygirl Margarita is fantastic as far as keeping the calories down but, and this…
no pasta lasagna
It’s pouring here in Florida, as it does now most days. The storms are heavy and arrogant. They command all of your attention with either the massive claps of thunder, the unrelenting rain or the sky firing up suddenly with rapid bolts of lightening surly to hit somewhere near you. Some days, the electricity goes…
smoked salmon, cheese and cucumber, yellow potatoes with soft scrambled eggs
When I think of the weekend, I think of two things: Friday night and Sunday morning. It’s almost as if Saturday gets lost in the shuffle. I would feel bad about it if it weren’t for the fact that Sunday has such a bad rep and needs a champion in its corner! Here’s where brunch…
potato, beef and bacon soup, parmesan basil toast and caesar soft boiled egg salad
When I think of easy recipes, I think of soups. It wasn’t always this way, I used to have to stir a pot, make sure it didn’t boil over, get out an immersion blender… Then I graduated to a regular blender, however it didn’t occur to me that heat rises while plopping a scalding hot…
garlic and tarragon shrimp over homemade cheese-free pesto with steamed salmon, polenta and brussel sprouts
Sundays nights in Florida aren’t typically nights you can enjoy long walks, holding hands with your partner, thinking about the week to come… It’s hot, it’s humid, it’s a problem. Sometimes though, we get a break from all that and even better still, it lasts for weeks. Just long enough to forget about running away…
chipotle ziti with red pesto and micro greens
When I finally made the decision in my thirties to get married (late in life compared to some), I was quite specific with who I wanted as a partner. Sometimes life is funny and takes who you want and gives you instead, who you need. I met my husband and shortly afterwards I tried to…
thanksgiving spoons
Holidays are stressful for anyone. Even, I imagine, Ina Garten, Martha Stewart and Nigella Lawson. I relish in the chaos, however. The music, the smell of all the food cooking, my husband running in and out of our kitchen sneaking tastes of everything… It’s beautiful even at that stage. When I think of Thanksgiving specifically,…
about me
When thinking of my life I realize how much care has gone into what I have surrounded myself with, what I have searched out to buy, how I choose to spend my time and really, what makes me happy. Joy is intentional; it does not come without some search of yourself, some consistent effort and…
