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Probably inspired by something I saw on Pinterest, these sandwiches include some of my favorite things, spinach, avocado and goat cheese. Feel free to use your favorite tangy cheese. Blue or gorgonzola would be just as good. I added chicken for a heartier dinner sandwich but a meat-free version would be just fine too. Chicken [...]
Simple and spicy. Don’t like a lot of heat? Try red bell peppers (or a combo of chili and bell peppers) instead. Either way, it’s full of flavor. Boneless Skinless Chicken, an assortment of breasts and thighs here Red Chili Peppers, 6 to 8 Garlic, one small head Tomato Paste, about 3 tablespoons Olive Oil [...]
The weather is getting warm but there’s still enough chill some mights to enjoy a warm and hearty soup. This one is easy and delicious. Italian Sausage, 1 1/2 pounds Onion, 2 small Garlic, 2 or 3 cloves Red Bell Pepper, 1 Rosemary Sage White Potatoes, 6 to 8, depending on size Chicken Stock or [...]
Why, hello there! Long time no see. Our Life in the Kitchen, the blog, has been neglected even more than our actual life in the kitchen lately. No good excuses, really. Life’s been busy, work’s been busy. Cooking has been entirely uninspired. We’re down to a household of only three and I’ve found the adjustment [...]
Got leftover Christmas ham? Put it to good use with big pot of warm comfort food. This pot will serve a big crowd, perfect if you’ve still got Holiday company, but it’s easy to halve it. No ham this year? Try bacon or sausage instead. Navy Beans, 2 pounds, dry Ham Bone with some meat [...]
This simple soup is warm comfort in a bowl. Using frozen chicken tenderloins made it easier but a whole cut up chicken, simmered in the pot and then deboned, would add even more flavor. The choice of herbs is yours. I used poultry seasoning and a little additional sage. Marjoram, thyme, rosemary and sage would [...]
My favorite holiday treat isn’t a cookie, it’s a sugary confection called Divinity. Light and airy and nearly nothing but sugar, it’s not something I’d eat all the time but that’s what makes it such a treat. This recipe is a long-time family tradition. Here’s the recipe, along with a couple of cookie favorites. [...]
Although my grill-master son (and I) would prefer to slow smoke this outdoors, the cooking low and slow in oven is a good substitute when the weather’s not the best for outdoor cooking. As usual, I was feeding a small crowd so there’s a lot of meat here. If you’re cooking less you’ll probably have [...]
It seems like Thanksgiving has come up quickly this year. Earlier this week it suddenly hit me that I better start thinking ahead. I’m planning a pretty traditional dinner this year, sticking with tried-and-true dishes for the most part. We’ll do two smaller birds, one shown here and one to be smoked by my son [...]
An easy side that went very nicely with the Sweet Tea Brined Pork Tenderloin, sweet potatoes with a touch of sweet and a hint of lavender. They’ll go well with chicken too. Sweet Potatoes, 3 or 4 Honey, about 1/3 cup Butter, 3 tablespoons Lavender, 1 teaspoon Salt and Pepper Preheat the oven to 350. [...]
There’s nothing like a weekend getaway for menu inspiration. Wandering around and reading menus, eating at some really nice places and trying new things gives me ideas that I wouldn’t have thought of on my own. Sweet Tea Brine is one of them. Although I didn’t sample it, I came home and started looking for [...]
Fall has finally arrived, Florida style. It’s sweet relief from the heat, cool enough to open up the windows and turn off the ac. Even cool enough at night to close the windows, or leave them open and break out the down comforter. That means it time for warm comfort foods. Here’s the plan: Pork [...]
I’ve made a terrific Tomato Jam before but somehow I’d forgotten about it. Seeing something similar on a restaurant menu recently made me pull out the recipe and tweak it a bit. I didn’t bother with the real canning process because this won’t last too long around it. It’ll be just fine in the fridge. [...]
I’d been craving a good steak sandwich, with good meat and lots of cheese. This is what we came up with. A spicy steak, smothered with onions. Some with blue cheese and some with provolone, depending on preference. Delicious! Baguettes or your favorite sandwich rolls Steak, boneless sirloin here Yellow or White Onions, 3 or [...]
Perfect cool weather comfort food! Stew Beef, about 2 pounds Butter, 1/2 cup Sweet Onions, 2 small Peppercorns, a few Allspice, a dash Bourbon, 1 cup Molasses, 1/2 cup Beef Stock or Bouillon, about a cup In a stockpot, heat the butter over medium-high heat until it begins to bubble and brown. Add a third [...]
Rosemary and potatoes are a classic combination but how to add rosemary to mashed potatoes? The rosemary needs to be cooked a bit so it’s not too hard, like eating pine needles. Solution? Saute the rosemary then smash the potatoes in the pan. Yukon Golds are my usual favorite for mashed but this time I [...]
Here’s an easy Italian salad that makes a complete meal by itself. Fire up the grill before the weather turns cold. Already to chilly for the grill? Roast the peppers and onions under the broiler and toss the chicken into a skillet with a little olive oil. Either way, this is simple and tasty. Romaine [...]
Pulled pork, or pulled meat of any type, is typically served with BBQ sauce. Here’s something a little different. The chipotle adds a spicy kick. Use a milder chili powder if you don’t like it hot. It’s a great way to use tougher cuts of meat. The long, slow cooking to a high temperature tenderizes, [...]
Curried Chicken Salad is such a good combination of sweet and savory. Many recipes include raisins but not only did I not have them on hand I’m not a huge fan anyway. Granny Smith apple suits my taste buds better so that’s what I used. Add whatever combination suits you. This recipe also includes an [...]
I love the combination of lime, garlic and cilantro. It makes a very tasty marinade but sometimes there’s just no time to marinate. Here’s a faster way to get the same great taste. Use whatever boneless chicken you like. Whole boneless breasts were on sale so that’s what I used. Breast cutlets or boneless thighs [...]
Italian Sausage on the grill and peppers, onions and garlic on the stove create an amazing aroma, one that usually means big, crusty hoagie rolls stuffed to overflowing with a big fat sausage and lots of peppers and onions. Yogis, they’re called around here because when one of the kids was little he couldn’t say [...]
Here’s a simple summery soup that’s good served hot but can also be served chilled on a hot day. I had peppers in the fridge so I threw them in for a variation on this simple Tomato Soup. Tomatoes, 8 to 10 Red Bell Peppers, 2 Yellow or White Onion, 2 small Olive Oil, a [...]
Summer fruits are my favorite and peaches are at the top of that list. This year has been particularly good, with lots of sweet and juicy peaches available. In addition to just eating them, I’ve been using them in salads. Here’s another way to do that. With fall upon us you hurry before they’re gone! [...]
A favorite from last year, this one’s going on the menu again this weekend: I am a total rookie when it comes to Asian foods of any variety. I’m quite sure this isn’t authentic anything but it sure tasted good. Notice my scrawled notes? That’s how most of my recipes look, at least until [...]
This combo is both versatile and easy. It makes a great side dish but it’d also be good scooped up with tortilla chips, wrapped in a tortilla or topping a fajita. The amounts given are just a guess. It really doesn’t matter because you can’t mess it up. Just throw it together until it looks [...]
Here’s a quick and easy way to prepare any mild, flaky fish. This time it’s tilapia because it’s easy to pick up decent, fresh and reasonably-priced tilapia at the local supermarket. Mahi-mahi or grouper would be great too, when there’s time for a trip to the fish market. Also, any citrus would work here. I [...]
A familiar kind of salad but a new kind of post, one without a lot of photos. One of the things that’s kept me so busy lately has been moving into a new office. Not only does my midwifery practice have a new home, but the photography studio equipment has a lovely new space that’s [...]
Hello Dear Readers! I really haven’t forgotten about you. I promise I haven’t. I just haven’t had much going on in the kitchen lately so there hasn’t been much to share. Work and family and just life have been incredibly busy and we’ve been lucky to get food on the table most nights. There’s been [...]
There’s a lot to be said for getting older. Sure, youth has its advantages, but I wouldn’t trade a single one of them for the feeling of contentment that comes from being satisfied with your accomplishments, comfortable in your own skin, and happy with both where you are and where you’re headed. Truly, “It’s Good [...]
Summer is here and it’s time for cookouts, picnics, beach days and more; for occasions that call for packing a cooler and enjoying icy refreshments. Although beer is traditional, I feel nearly un-American for not really liking it. Packing a bottle of wine into a cooler isn’t always practical and most of the other bottled [...]
An oldie but goodie from the archives: This one dates back to my days of copying recipes onto index cards, back in the dark ages before the internet when I’d check out stacks of cookbooks and magazines from the library and clip recipes from the newspaper. I don’t know the original source but it’s been [...]
It’s summer, time to fire up the grill. I’ve been experimenting with variations on grilled chicken lately. I really like how easy it is to stuff seasoning under the skin and create a basting sauce at the same time. Because I rarely have time to get chicken marinating early in the day, this method is [...]
Both of these are incredibly simple and easy and since they go so well together on the menu I’m putting them together here in one post. Get the rice simmering then move on to the asparagus and they’ll both be ready for the table at about the same time. Coconut Milk, 2 cans Water Rice, [...]
One day while wasting time perusing all the lovely photos on Pinterest I came across a pasta dish that looked pretty basic. Pasta All’Amatriciana it was called. Could it be that I’ve been totally missing out on some magical new way to combine tomatoes and pasta? I set out to find what makes it so [...]
Spicy, smoky and easy. Leg quarters were on sale so that’s what I used. Use whatever parts you like. Also, I think this would work well for roasting a whole chicken, either on the grill or in the oven. Chicken Parts, 4 leg quarters here Dried Chipotle Peppers, 6 to 8 Garlic, 3 or 4 [...]
Mexican rice, that orange stuff that’s on nearly every plate in nearly every Tex Mex restaurant. Sometimes it’s really good and other times it’s just there to take up space on the plate. I wanted to recreate the good and I figured it couldn’t be too difficult. I read a few recipes, some very simple [...]
Another roasted chicken but this is anything but plain and boring. From the lovely book A Southerly Course by Martha Hall Foose, it’s a simple but full of Asian-inspired flavor. It’s no big surprise that I was cooking for a full table again so I had two big chickens. I didn’t measure exactly when doubling [...]
Because I’m craving something sweet and because the strawberries are still fresh and good this time of year, it’s time for a Friday Flashback… I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream! And this rich strawberry confection will really have you screaming for more. After we made this version with vanilla beans, we [...]
The basil in the garden is already threatening to bolt and since I’m determined to keep it under control it got a good lopping. Is there a better quick and easy way to put it to use besides pesto? And, since lemon and basil are such a good combination, I put them together in one [...]
Potatoes in one form or another are a classic part of a hearty breakfast menu, in the form of hash browns, potato pancakes or simple fried potatoes. These are simple breakfast potatoes with a little onion and sage added for a bit more flavor. I fried them up in butter but I imagine olive oil [...]
The classic flavor combo of spinach and feta and easier than an omelet when cooking for a few. It’s perfect for “Breakfast for Dinner” nights or Sunday brunch. Spinach, 10 ounce bag Thyme, a dash or two Butter, 2 to 3 tablespoons Salt/Pepper Eggs, 9 Milk, 3/4 cup Half & Half, 3/4 cup Feta Cheese, [...]
This year’s basil is already taking off and I’m determined to keep it from turning into spindly, woody bushes this time around. That means I’m whacking it back regularly, bringing in big bunches of fresh basil that just scream pesto. This recipe is coming up again soon, maybe a little lighter by using less cream [...]
Waffles and Chicken is a traditional dish that’s become quite trendy lately, popping up all over. And no wonder because it’s good! Still, I have a bit of stubborn streak so I tend to resist jumping onto trendy bandwagons. This one got the better of me when I suddenly had an idea for cornmeal waffles. [...]
In honor of National Grilled Cheese Day, here’s an oldie-but-goodie favorite. Like any grilled cheese, there’s really no way to go wrong. A little Parmesan or Asiago would be a great addition, along with a little roasted garlic. Crusty Italian Bread Ripe Tomatoes Provolone Mozzarella Fresh Basil Olive Oil Slice the tomatoes and cheeses. Heat [...]
A perfectly roasted chicken is certainly a thing to behold. But just plain chicken can get boring no matter how good it is. Add the classic lemon-basil-garlic combination, along with a handful of potatoes, and you’ve got nearly a whole meal in one pan. Add a fresh green salad or a side of roasted asparagus [...]
Although Martha Foose’s lovely A Southerly Course has been sitting on the corner of my desk for a while now, I’m just now getting around to cooking from it. It’s full of amazingly beautiful recipes that conjure up traditional Southern eating but with a modern style. Life’s been busy so cooking of any sort, especially [...]
I’m always looking for a new take on green veggie side dishes. I tend to get stuck into a meat/starch/green rut, all the more reason to pull those individual up out of the rut. Different doesn’t necessarily mean complicated Sometimes it’s as simple as this, taking a couple of different basics and mixing them together. [...]
Here’s a quick and easy side dish that goes so well with just about any main dish. It’s easy to get it going and mostly forget about it while working on the rest of the meal. I served it up this night with chicken cakes but it’d go well with beef, pork or chicken. A [...]
Life and work have been so busy lately that I’ve hardly had time to cook, much less time to write about cooking. It’s too bad because I’ve got a slowly-growing collection of cookbooks found in thrift stores and second-hand stores and I’m finding all kinds of inspiration. Now I just need time to cook more [...]
Tomato gravy, a Southern classic I hadn’t thought about in years until I just happened to run across a quick description of “a gravy made by adding tomatoes to pan-drippings”, was suddenly a big craving. Here I added it to one of my favorite combos, chicken and bacon, and served it for dinner. For breakfast, [...]
