Israeli Couscous with Zucchini, Spinach, and Ricotta

Here’s a quick fix side dish idea for ya. Cook up some Israeli couscous and while you’re doing that, start sautéing chopped zucchini in a pan with a little butter. When the zucchini is about halfway done, add one clove of chopped garlic and a bunch of fresh spinach. I also added some fresh thyme…

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Greek Orzo Salad

My plan for book club was to make one of my Mom’s pies. I got the recipe and was all ready to go…until I couldn’t find the main ingredient in the grocery store. So there I was, standing in D’Ag at 8:45 PM the night before, no idea what I was going to make. I…

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Pear Cinnamon Muffins

Ever have a feeling that’s so rare you need to pause and acknowledge it?  Well last week I had the urge to bake muffins and since I never want to bake I had to stop and give this feeling some attention.  I don’t bake because I don’t really like it – it’s too precise.  At least,…

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Fig Butter Grilled Cheese

I bought fig butter for a recipe recently and had half a jar leftover.  I didn’t want to waste it so I worked to find a recipe that incorporated it.  This may come as a surprise, but fig butter is not one of my go to ingredients.  It is by no means a typical condiment…

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Mushroom Rosemary Polenta with Gouda

My first experience cooking polenta started out a little scary but it only took me a few minutes to pull it together and make a simple and satisfying Italian dish.  The sweat started bubbling on my brow within 30 seconds of the cooking process.  No no, girls don’t sweat; they glow.  The glow took over my…

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Sausage Lasagna with Smoked Mozzarella

I wouldn’t have known Monday was National Lasagna Day if Albert had not pointed it out to me.  Thankfully, lasagna is an easy dish to throw together so I didn’t need much advanced notice to celebrate.  But boring, standard lasagna doesn’t really say “celebration” so I wanted to update the recipe – something that’s easy…

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Prosciutto, Brie, and Apple Sandwiches

I had a nice bottle of champagne on hand and was determined to use it for mimosas on the roof this past weekend so I invited Beth over for a Saturday brunch.  I couldn’t just serve mimosas – that’s just not the kind of hostess I am – so I prepared two summer salads.  The…

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Spicy Shrimp Breakfast Tacos

Years ago my family took our boat out for a weekend camping trip.  On the last morning I was put in charge of making breakfast out of whatever we had leftover.  I ended up making breakfast burritos out of shrimp we caught straight off the side of the boat and some cajun seasoning we had…

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Pea Salad

You and me go together like peas and carrots…except I don’t like peas and carrots.  But once I discovered how great Greek yogurt and mayonnaise could be as a dressing, I wanted to see if it could save this dish. Once of my biggest issues with peas and carrots is that I don’t really like…

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Sausage and Peppers Cous Cous

I usually keep a package of chicken sausage in my fridge for those nights when I get home late but still want a home cooked meal.  They stay fresh for a while and come in all sorts of fun flavors like jalapeno, the variety residing in my fridge this week.  If you’ve ever seen an…

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