We tested out almost all my soups for the perfect second course of Christmas dinner (all soup recipes here). They were delicious – but I wanted something new. We always use clean, never “previously frozen” and wild caught seafood preferring to purchase from Wild Caught Alaskan Salmon and Seafood. We’re lucky enough to have our…
Category: Hors d’Oeuvres
stuffed radicchio with a sunflower seed pesto
After my gallbladder was removed I agonized over what foods I could eat. For a self-professed foodie this was worst-case-scenerio type stuff… Being afraid of food. I quickly learned this was a typical response of the 750,000 plus people in America alone (per year) who have had this surgery. I can go further into why…
quick easy sushi: my take on the california roll with baked salmon and a coconut amino sauce
We went to one of our favorite restaurants with family who were here visiting and we fell in love with one of their sushi options. I am not someone who eats sushi with fish… I can’t stomach the idea of uncooked fish. At all. But this sushi had baked salmon on the top of a…
grilled garlic and cilantro shrimp, polenta and bosc pears
Polenta is one of those overlooked, versatile yummy comfort foods that I don’t think gets enough attention. I know a lot of people have used the kind of creamy polenta you have with shrimp as opposed to shrimp and grits but, I’m talking about these formed “logs” of polenta you can find in all different…
stuffed delicata squash with salmon, wild rice, herbed goat cheese and spinach over pesto with sprouted pumpkin seeds
There isn’t a squash I haven’t fallen in love with – some more than others – but when I realized the delicata squash had a skin you could eat, it intrigued me to no end. I had to get my hands on some, stuff them and relish in no left over skins. I found these…
carrot, coconut and ginger soup
I made dinner this past weekend which had carrots as a side dish, and they were the best carrots I had ever had. That’s a huge statement since… It’s just a carrot; nothing to get too excited about. I steamed them first and then sautéed them in dried herbs till they softened and got all…
creamy summer squash and cauliflower soup with dill
I love soups when the flavors sound strange together but come out beautifully. Summer squash? Sure. Cauliflower? Sure. But together? I decided I wanted to continue to lower my histamine levels while also having something low carb and filling – soup it is. You do not need to be on a low histamine diet to…
rosemary and macadamia nut butter biscuits with ricotta and olive oil
I’ve written a bit on histamine intolerance lately and how the simple effort of making just a few changes to your diet can make all the difference in how you feel. Even if you’re not having any heart palpitations, skin flushing, rashes, brain fog, sleeplessness, itchy skin, runny nose, chest congestion, etc – these ingredients…
(best damn) turkey meatballs with fennel and cream cheese
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
garlic and tarragon shrimp over homemade cheese-free pesto
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…
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,…
live a curated life 