I’m on a use-what-you-have kind of a kick lately, and what I have is a recent love affair with fennel seed. And acorn squash. And my pistachio pesto. What to do… what to do… I looked online and could not find one instance where acorn squash was used as a Wellington – Butternut squash yes,…
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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(best damn) turkey meatballs with fennel and sour cream, Livia fettuccine and Rao’s sauce
I’m never giving up Italian food. Ever. Ever. Not sure if that’s why I married an Italian, seeing as I’m the one doing all the cooking (insert an off in the distance gaze – pondering life choices <here>) but, he does find his way into the kitchen whenever an Italian dish is being made. Just…
decadent vanilla cream and wild blueberry martinis
Most people when starting a health journey are told to stay away from alcohol. I don’t subscribe to that rule but, I DO think when we DO have alcohol we can make smarter decisions… I don’t understand total avoidance – it just makes me want something more! In this case, I was craving something sweet…
stuffed roasted butternut squash with a pistachio pesto
I love butternut squash everything. Now that we’re more “North” than my husband and I have been in a while, we see it on more menus than when we lived in Florida, especially during this past winter. I always get so much inspiration from the weather and this meal feels like a holiday. It feels…
roasted butternut squash soup with cashews and ground sage
Soup again? Yes. Never gets old in my opinion, especially during this weather. I was told Franklin, TN hadn’t had a snow “storm” in over five years. Now today, stores, local offices… all closed for the second day in a row due to what’s happening outside. We’re expecting more snow tonight through tomorrow… What is…
spinach and fresh mozzarella stuffed chicken over a cheese-free walnut pesto
Not a massive stuffed chicken fan only because I can’t find that many alternations which are easy to do on a weeknight with things you may already have around the house. People like to get fancy… I’m sometimes a purist and just go with the classics: things stuffed with cheese. The chicken came out very…
shrimp bisque with mushrooms, cashews and low carb dunking chips
Shrimp bisque was something I was dreaming about for days… Thinking this was because I was about to have it at some obscure new restaurant I had yet to discover (we only just moved here) or that I would manifest it into existence by just obsessing about it. I realized instead… In the end, what…
stuffed bell peppers with ground turkey, spinach and liviva “rice” over cauliflower “mashed potatoes” with dill
I love stuffed peppers… I love how versatile they are but, usually they include a carb I’m trying to avoid: rice. Liviva Foods has an excellent substitute for rice (among some other things) that worked perfectly here. You Will Need: * Bell Pepper * Rice (or substitute) * Spinach * Parmesan (or cheese of choice)…
wild caught salmon en papillote with turkey bacon, air-fried sprouts and dill
Salmon is still such a treat for us – no matter how many times we have it – so I try to create something new whenever I can. I love baking our salmon in parchment “pockets” covered in some sort of moisture-sealing topping and a seasoning. The salmon comes out perfectly moist and flaky and…
sugar free sunflower butter and chocolate loaves of ooey-gooey gorgeous
I’m not a “baker” – I’m a “burner”… I can’t bake anything if it’s a dessert or something that needs exact precise measurements. I can follow directions; I just can’t not burn anything. Which is why these are perfect – they never burn. The ingredients keep them moist. They’re keto. And they’re easy. You Will…
christmas table-setting and dinner, our still-unpacking-style
This was my first Christmas with my husband in our new town of Franklin, and we were only a month into living here. Boxes everywhere… I did the best I could using what we found. I’ll outline the menu and then just show photos, as well as where I got some of the things you’ll…
pan fried tarragon shrimp over polenta with a roasted red pepper sauce
I have a love for polenta that I don’t think has been adequately expressed on this site… So here we go again with some happy yellow discs that are like little creamy plates to host something crunchy on top. In this case it’s shrimp but if you’re more partial to scallops, I have that recipe…
grilled figs with turkey bacon, ricotta and a blueberry reduction dressing
I use this dressing with almost everything; chicken, fish, pancakes and obviously salads. This is especially good with a shrimp and polenta salad… You Will Need: Blueberries A Small Pot A Small Potato Masher or Wooden Spoon Figs Turkey Bacon Ricotta Lettuce (we used baby lettuce) A Grill Olive Oil Cut your figs on down…
amaretto sours with homemade sugar-free sour mix, orange and pomegranate seeds
My husband and I wanted to create a Christmas drink that we’d have every year which we could make a tradition. After having spent the majority of quarantine watching all our carbs and sugar intake, we realized there wasn’t much that was festive and still relatively “healthy”. Then I took out my sour glasses from…
cream of zucchini soup with onion and cilantro
When I was diagnosed with an egg yolk and nickel allergy I was… pissed. Tell me what’s good that doesn’t have yolk in it?! So, I did the elimination diet (did you know food and meds also have nickel in them? Not just what you cook with?) and, I noticed a big change within just…
kielbasa salad with sprout “petals” and a wild blueberry dressing
I never met a kielbasa I didn’t like – until I saw all the sugar involved… I searched our local grocery store for kielbasa without sugar to no avail. I literally gave up, resigned to the fact I would never again enjoy kielbasa warmed on the stove with a mustard dipping sauce. That was a…
sweet italian sausage over a parmesan puree of roasted cauliflower and onion in a brown butter sauce (includes a salmon variation)
I just finished watching the PBS documentary about The Little Inn at Washington (for the sixth time – and you’ll find it now on Amazon Prime if looking for it before PBS releases it again this coming August). I remembered when I went there, I don’t remember everything I ate but I do remember the…
no sugar or carbs, guilt free guilty pleasure
I’m a self-professed wine girl. I love white, red, blush, the glasses, a vineyard, etc… I have every different Riedel glass for every different varietal. I have the Swan Riedel decanter (though we don’t dare use it!), an incalculable amount of wine drinking gadgets and aerators and so on and so forth and I love…
cream of mushroom soup with thyme and parmesan
I love cream of anything. And as we continue to be brave and creative with our culinary exploits, I want to make sure I publish recipes that feel decadent but not be considered real cheating. Soups are a great way to accomplish this. You will want to play around with the amount of each seasoning…
chilean sea bass in a brown butter garlic lemon sauce with seasoned brussel sprouts
The first time I had Chilean Sea Bass was in a small restaurant, Red Fox Tavern in Middleburg, VA. This restaurant / Inn resides off a main street two street lights long. It is an “old money” town where people love their horses as much as their children, there are big homes, a tiny post…
sous vide pork tenderloin with vegetables
A pork tenderloin is one of the easiest things in the world, and cooking sous vide is like cooking with a crock pot on steroids. This came out juicy and the seasoning stayed with the meat. If you can find miniature pork loins I highly recommend them… You Will Need: A Sous Vide (my sous…
bacon and dill deviled eggs
I remember my first deviled eggs experience. I don’t know why, except that it was like someone was introducing me to eggs and mayonnaise – for the first time. Which makes no sense since mayo is literally made of eggs, but in my mind these were two completely unrelated items, coming together. And I had…
steamed artichokes with a basil butter dipping sauce
As you can see with my website icon, I love artichokes. I love the ease of cooking, the health benefits, the way they taste and, of course, ripping through them to get to their heart. So good (more on that in the menu under Bio). You Will Need: Artichokes Kitchen Shears A Knife Butter Olive…
baked spinach and grass fed beef in cheese rolls
I had never tried these cheese rolls before. Though I knew they were inexpensive and versatile, they sat in my fridge for quite some time. I’m embarrassed to write that now, considering all the meals where we could have enjoyed them. Nevertheless, here’s a quick idea for anyone who has been eying these at the…
asparagus and sage soup
Making a lot of soup lately… It calms me drinking soup during this quarantine. I can feel the bone broth nutrients hitting my system and I’m immediately calmed knowing that I’m putting ingredients in my body that are good for me. Good for my gut, for my mind and took no time at all to…
chicken and roasted broccoli soup with toasted sesame oil
I had wanted to find a way to use up what we had at the time in our home: a half empty box of broth and some broccoli. Of course that would be fine but, my husband would have said he was still hungry and hour later. And then into the keto snacks he’d go……
bacon and cheddar sous vide egg bites
I watched a youtube video of a chef who was going to different well known locations and trying some of their more popular foods on the menu. During one video, he and his cousin went to Starbucks and ordered one of each of their Sous Vide Egg Cups. Almost 40 dollars later (for three cups),…
cream of broccoli soup
Whenever you read “cream of” anything, you don’t think *healthy*. But this soup is very low in calories and carbs, while filled with nutritious ingredients in a filling warm concoction. I had missed soups… I used to make them creamy with potatoes or cashews. Then we started Keto and I would dress up our favorite…
roasted herbs de provence shrimp in a lemon, garlic butter sauce
In this unprecedented time of fear and uncertainty, I have not only slowed down on cooking, I have decided to not even use my bone china. I have used (with my husband’s curious enthusiasm) paper plates and napkins. Well, that’s not entirely true; I still use cloth napkins… I just can’t find the energy and…
mini stuffed rosemary meatballs with toasted sesame oil and creamy cheesy cauliflower
Eating “Keto” has been so much easier than I expected. I don’t miss bread, I don’t miss pasta, I don’t miss rice or chips… I get to eat meat, seafood, desserts, CHEESE. Last night I made a Cheez-It snack that tasted just like the real thing… (see instagram post) and it satisfied my need for…
bathtub oasis {condo style}
There’s not much that will relax me more than feeling water. I’m not a huge ocean person, unless the beach seems more rugged than touristy. I like the splashing water against jagged rocks and free formed beaches that almost beckon you to explore them for ship wreck treasure. The beaches we have here are pretty,…
garlic basil pork loin with pureed vegetables
Pork loin is one of the most versatile proteins I can think of. And much like the cornish hen recipe preceding it, this recipe is just as fool-proof. There’s no great story to accompany this post; it’s about as straight-forward as it gets for an easy Sunday night dinner. You Will Need: * Pork Loin…
rosemary and lemon cornish hens with roasted broccoli and cheddar cauliflower “mashed potatoes”
I like a thing that’s a miniature version of the original thing: * Puppies* Personal Shakers for a Cocktail* The Mini Cooper ……. * Puppies So when I started to cook these cornish hens instead of roasted chicken, I realized what little work I really needed to do in comparison. Choose veggies as a side…
cheese tacos with chicken, salsa, avocado and sour cream
I am a massive cheese fan. I am also aware there is a heightened spotlight placed on dairy farms recently however, I admit I still love my cheese… Perhaps in the future when I have received the complete benefits of this low carb lifestyle, I will let go of dairy but, for right now, I…
high falutin’ egg cups with a turmeric mayo and champagne
I love brunch. I love everything about it. I love the laziness, the decadence and (yes, I’ve said this before) unapologetic day-drinking. I especially love when I can have it at home, in our big king bed with my most favorite purchase of last year: The Scully & Scully Breakfast Bed Tray It shouldn’t have…
shaved parmesan salad, pesto over whole wheat angel hair, sun-dried tomatoes & kalamata olives, vanilla lemon poppyseed bundt cake with melted chocolate & strawberries
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…
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 (salmon wellington)
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…
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…
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…
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…
