Umami’s Magic Dusting Powder

You’ve tasted it a million times, like when you had that mind-blowing grilled hamburger with sautéed mushrooms at that place– it was so good because it was so umami.

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Rigatoni with Artichokes and Country Ham

Country ham is like southern prosciutto. Okay, not quite as delicate or complex as prosciutto in northern Italy, but really tasty and useful and stubbornly only found in southern states.

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Pineapple Water

The kids away for an entire week, my husband and I decided to splurge and use some of his Marriott frequent stayer points, on one night 'away'. We were only headed downtown of our home city, but there is something that feels indulgent about staying in a hotel (for those of us who rarely do ...

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Green Papaya Salad

I served this at a dinner party last night and people sort of lost their minds. It is so fresh and delicious, it's redunkulous. Whether or not you like fish sauce, it is integral to this dish and no one, (not even my friend Emma who acts like a feisty toddler in her non-fish-sauce food demands) ...

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Spicy Bombay Granola

I love the idea of granola (healthy, snackable, satisfying), but have no sweet tooth. So I developed this recipe using strong savory/sweet/spicy flavors. It is addictive... and great to curb late afternoon hunger pangs, as well as yummy nibbles to serve with cocktails. A great place to buy all the seeds, etc for this recipe is ...

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Slow Cooker Beef with Noodles

Jen also uses her Crockpot in the summer, which at first was confusing; I associate slow cooking with dark, chilly, winter days. Using a Crockpot in the summer– in the south– makes perfect sense, though: It cooks a delicious meal, hands free, without heating up the kitchen.

Well played, friend Jen.

Posted in Beef, Kid Friendly, Mains, Meat, Mushrooms, Pasta, soups/stews | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Vegetarian Stuffed Mushrooms

Qualifier: These are stuffed mushrooms made for vegetarians, not mushrooms stuffed with vegetarians... I was having a small get-together with my best girlfriends. Two of the attendees, Emma and Aimee are vegetarian. Remember, way back, when saying someone was vegetarian was tantamount to saying they were communist, or a nudist-- you'd sort of say it in a whisper ...

Posted in Mushrooms, Starters, Uncategorized, vegetarian | 1 Comment

Weeknight, Turkey-Meatball Subs

These are so family friendly, it's redunkulous. Mix up the meat and  shape the meatballs in the morning, stash them in the fridge, then simmer gently when you get home in the evening. Simple. 1 pound lean ground turkey breast 1 pound Italian turkey sausage, squeezed from their casing 1 packet Lipton's onion soup mix Squeeze of ketchup Squeeze of ...

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Edamame Spread

I am trying to figure out other uses for the spread. Along side crisp wonton chips would be good, but what else? Any ideas? Please share!

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Paris: The Best Lunch

Anytime you you are invited to an Italian man’s house in Paris for lunch, without exception, accept the offer.

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