instruction and inspiration for the home cook
If you are looking for a soft cookie with a deep chocolate flavor that won’t get lost in your ice cream sandwich, look no further than these cocoa sandwich cookies. Knowing how the freezing process can suppress flavors, I was deliberate in developing a cookie that would be up to the task. Therefore, I titled it a sandwich cookie because the bold flavor will do best with a filling, be it ice cream, frosting, or ganache.
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Jump to Avocado Green Goddess Dressing Recipe
I had an overripe avocado I wasn’t quite sure what to do with, plus some fresh herbs in the garden. I use the term “garden” very loosely; it’s pretty much just pots on the patio. Anyway, I decided to look at recipes for green goddess dressing. I’d never made one, but I remember it being a favorite of my mom’s, probably because it originated at a San Francisco hotel. She loved anything having to do with San Francisco. Her salad dressings were rarely storebought bottles and usually involved a packet of Uncle Dan’s ranch dressing or a horrifying (sorry, Mom) mix of mayo and ketchup to pass as thousand island. It was a splurge for her to buy the Seven Seas brand of green goddess that was popular in the ’70s for special occasions.
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Jump to Smoked Beef Chili Recipe
This recipe for smoked beef chili is a great way to use leftover smoked brisket or tri-tip. We had great friends here last weekend, and Bob decided to put about six pounds of tri-tip in the smoker. It was a little bit overkill for seven people, so here we are. We used some to make steak salads when my nieces were over the following evening but still had a couple of pounds left, so I decided the best thing to do was make a Texas-style no-bean chili. It was the right thing to do.
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What we have here is basically a bread salad, and my family totally got on board with it last night, along with some grilled marinated chicken. Panzanella is, traditionally, a Tuscan salad of stale bread and tomatoes, often with other garden vegetables soaked in vinegar and olive oil. Tuscans really knew how to deal with their leftovers. I added some white beans and feta for a hearty salad that can be eaten on its own or with your protein of choice.
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Nothing brings out my inner food nerd like fresh Oregon strawberries. I felt I owed them a great shortcake recipe and came up with this classic, buttery biscuit on their behalf. Of course, you can use any kind of strawberries, but if you can find them locally grown, you’re going to have a sweeter berry and a happy farmer.
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Happy Memorial Day weekend! Since, for many of us, this is the kickoff to summer grilling season I thought I’d share some of my favorite recipes focused on outdoor cooking.
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Jump to Mango Lime Chipotle Sauce Recipe
One of the things I love most about my Vitamix is its ability to blend smooth dressings and sauces full of complex flavors. It takes just a few minutes to gather the ingredients and about thirty seconds to blend them into something delicious, like this Mango Lime Chipotle Sauce.
I promised more gluten-free recipes when we thought Ella might be gluten-intolerant. It turns out she’s not, shellfish was the culprit, but I am well-stocked with alternative flours, so I’m keeping my promise. Besides, just because we aren’t cutting it out entirely doesn’t mean we shouldn’t eat less of it.
One of the great things about being a mom is that your kids have friends, and then you get bonus kids in your life. If you’re really lucky, those kids have moms you like and you get your own amazing friends out of the deal. I’ve pretty much hit the jackpot in that area. Anyway, one of those bonus kids loves these snickerdoodles. My girls actually roll their eyes when I make them and say, “You’re just making them for Ava.” Yes, that’s true, I usually am. She is, however, not the original bonus kid I made them for. Years before Ella and Hailey were born (about seven and a half to be exact), my best friend’s son, Cooper, came along. He has called me Auntie since he could talk, and he loves snickerdoodles, so, naturally, I had to add them to my repertoire.
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Happy Tuesday! I wanted to get in a quick post ahead of Cinco de Mayo (barely). This lime and garlic marinade comes together quickly and is perfect for grilled chicken thighs. You could use breasts too, but they won’t be quite as juicy and flavorful. Slice up the grilled chicken thighs to use in tacos, burritos, bowls, salads, etc., or serve them whole with sides.
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