Leftover olives…what to do? what to do? A quick search found this fabulous tapenade recipe by Former Chef. The recipe calls for kalamata, green, and Californa ripe olives but you can use any combination you have on hand. The ripe olives add a nice balance to the punchy kalamatas. You’ll also want to add roasted red pepper. These can be bought in a jar but roasting them at home is super easy. Continue reading »
She had a comprehensive list of at least 10 specific ingredients she couldn’t live without, with the reasoning behind each one. She suggested that I add a section on our ‘about us’ page that talks about “Must Haves” (in our pantry and fridge). Okay, I can do this. And then nothing happened. How could I possibly narrow it down. It’s kind of like the question ‘if stranded on a deserted island…’ It’s not as easy as it seems. I believe this is a product of getting older. Her 21 year old mind is pure, it knows what it needs right this very moment to make her happy. Someone poses a ‘life’ question to me….my response is….can you give me a minute?
It’s hard to explain really. I want to be open and random with my responses. I thought I was that person for a time. Cooking is a way to express myself. For the most part, if I’m left alone in the kitchen with an urge to ‘cook’ I think I can be open and random. It may start slowly, but left alone long enough with the ingredients at hand I will come up with a plan. I have to. Not for a hungry family waiting at the table, not for a blog post that MUST happen…because I am the kind of person who completely and utterly loves cooking. (She inhales and says yes…you said it).
In my particular Word Press theme, my tags are also my ingegredients. So for the most part my most popular ingredients are shown LARGER and bold in my tag cloud. Wow…without breaking a pressure sweat…my own site has identified my can’t live without ingredients. Do you see them? Scroll out to the left and down…the more I tag an ingredient the LARGER it gets under my Ingredient Sidebar list. Hello Bacon and thank you Shelby for the inspiration.
Today I had the pleasure of cooking for my work family. I believe if you’re going to call a mandatory meeting during the lunch hour, at minimum provide them a lunch made with love. And so we did. Continue reading »
This morning when I fired up my laptop and logged into Lemony Thyme I was greeted by our first non family, friend, or spam comment. Ha! I had goose bumps. This person had found us searching for Patty Pan squash recipes. And of all the choices she took the time to read our recipe. And then she went on to read other posts and ultimately commented on our North African Lamb Kabob post. It was a great comment too. She shared that to get even deeper flavors from my spices that I try lightly toasting and then grinding my cumin and coriander from whole seeds, something she learned from the book “The Dance of Spices” which I shall seek out. Continue reading »
International food flavors have grown in popularity over the past several years. As the foodie movement sweeps through cities and small towns alike, eaters are looking for ‘different’ dining options. College Cafeterias are becoming International Eateries as young foodies seek out fresh flavorful options. Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, and Asian Markets are as popular as ever with home cooks like me, offering expansive and diverse ingredients. Continue reading »
For the Cilantro Mint Pesto, combine cilantro, mint, oregano, almonds, honey, and vinegar in a small food processor. Fine chop ingredients and with processor running drizzle in olive oil. Then season with salt & pepper. Continue reading »
North African Lamb Kebabs sounded so intriguing to me. Traditionally we think of kebobs made up of ‘hunks’ of meat and/or vegetables. These kebobs are made with ground lamb that’s blended with heavenly herbs and spices. I came across a recipe in one of my cooking magazines and the ingredients list was right up our alley (and mostly on hand): cumin, coriander, paprika, fresh cilantro, mint, oregano, ginger, garlic…..can’t you just smell it. Continue reading »
Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing is probably the number one dish I’m assigned for a group dinner. It’s just so darn good. I bring it willingly because I know we’ll be treated to amazing stuffed mushrooms, cheesy potato casserole, and marinated flat iron steak. We all have our dish.
