Food Blog

This may just be the largest sandwich I’ve ever made in my life. It’s essentially an eight-egg omelette that’s topped with onion, spinach, Romano cheese, and roasted red bell peppers, situated in a giant loaf of Italian bread. Oh yeah, there’s also goat cheese applied to the bread as well. I found this recipe in a book called Vegetarian Sandwiches written by Paulette Mitchell. Paulette suggested using focaccia bread, but when I found that in the grocery store, I wasn’t impressed. I opted to go with the loaf of Italian, which suited me fine because I also opted to increase the two eggs the original recipe called for to eight. Needless to say, the sandwich I made was a bit bigger than the one I was supposed to make. That’s fine because I had some leftovers to enjoy later on. If you click through and read the ingredient list, you’ll quickly see how delightful this sandwich can be. Besides being huge, it offers a lot of flavor. These favors are primarily derived from the herbs, goat cheese, the roasting of the peppers and onions, and the garlic. This thing is no joke, so if you’re in the mood, you need to check this one out. Click on through today. Continue reading…

Back in my early days, I can remember avoiding foods that seemed too complex. I was a basic American boy. I stuck to what I knew; sandwiches, pizza, burgers – what everyone else around me was eating. As I grew older and began looking around my surroundings a bit more, I discovered some of what I’d been missing. One of those things was curry paste. Apparently, unbeknownst to me, a large portion of the world (India) has been enjoying this wonder food for eons. What’s curry paste you ask? It comes in a jar and is a mixture of (generally speaking) turmeric, coriander, chili powder, and cumin. Also mixed in is oil, garlic, lemongrass, galangal (or Thai ginger), and some chilies. This is one of those foods that, after being tasted, will change your life as you know it. If you’ve ever eaten at an Indian restaurant, you know how delicious the food can be. Actually, it’s quite simply off the charts good and it’s the spices that help everything along so much. The dish I share in this post takes advantage of not only curry paste, but coconut milk as well. Combine these things with butternut squash, chickpeas, and cilantro and you’re going to surprise yourself. For so few ingredients, this dish is bursting with flavors. The best part is, it’s so simple to put together. You need to check this one out. It’s preparation is fast and the result is awesome. Continue reading…

One of the aspects of Italian food I’m just recently picking up on is how simple it can be. The Italians don’t like to muddle their flavors, so the fewer ingredients, the happier the Italians are. This suits me fine because it’s the more complex recipes that I shy away from. If I can pull the texture and flavor I want out of only a handful of ingredients, that’s perfect. And just so you know, I’m not making this stuff up. I was recently watching one of Gino D’Acampo’s TV shows and he confirmed this idea. Tomatoes, cheese, olive oil, pasta – it’s a go. In the case of this dish, there’s no tomato sauce, but it is simple and that’s what I was after when I made it. The ingredient list includes broccoli, orecchiette, parsley, pecans, olive oil, and a few other minor ingredients. Cook the broccoli and the pasta, toast the pecans, and that’s really all there is to it. Combine the ingredients and serve. As I said, simple is best and you can’t get much more simple than this. If you’re interested in a very fresh tasting Italian dish, try this one out. Continue reading…

We’ve all tried egg salad sandwiches. I used to eat them for lunch in elementary school. What is it – hard-boiled eggs, salt, pepper, and mayo on sandwich bread? That’s fine for a kid’s sandwich, but how about for an adult’s egg salad sandwich? In today’s version, instead of mixing the eggs with simple mayonnaise, the eggs are mixed with a very special sauce that’s made of yogurt, dill, mustard, lemon, honey, garlic, salt, and pepper. How’s that for an elevation? Mix that sauce with not only the eggs, but eggs, carrot, green bell pepper, celery, onion, and capers. Of course, instead of using regular white sandwich bread, this dish is begging for something more along the lines of an all-grain or ten-grain loaf. In the ingredient list, I left the bread up to you. I said good bread and I’m confident you’ll find the best you can. Just remember, the heavier the better. I found this recipe in a cookbook called Vegetarian Sandwiches by Paulette Mitchell. I’ve actually shared a few of Paulette’s recipes on this site before and I can’t recommend them enough. She takes what’s regular and ordinary and makes it super extraordinary. If you like egg salad sandwiches and would like to bring them to the next level, click through to check out this recipe. Continue reading…

I’ve already shared a few sandwich recipes on this website. If memory serves, they were recipes for some pretty huge sandwiches. I rarely make sandwiches I can actually eat like a human. With me, the bigger the better. That’s why I’m bringing you another big one. This time, it’s called The Green Goddess and it’s unique in the ingredients it calls for and the way it’s constructed. The green in this sandwich describes the basil mayonnaise. If you’ve never prepared your own homemade mayonnaise before, you’re in for a treat. The trick with this version is the fresh basil leaves that are added to the processor. If you click through to view the photos, you’ll see how green the basil makes everything. It sort of looks like a Saint Patrick’s Day sandwich, but really, it’s a wonderfully tasting and quite substantial summertime sandwich. Between the gourmet bread, avocado, mozzarella, tomato slices, cucumber, onion, sprouts, lettuce, and everything else, it really doesn’t get much better than this. So, if you like big fat vegetarian sandwiches, you might want to check this one out. Continue reading…

This is an incredible gratin that takes full advantage of summertime vegetables. As I shared in the post, this dish tastes fresh. It must be the combination of vegetables. Think zucchini, yellow squash, tomatoes, onions, garlic, and basil, all melted together to make an outstandingly flavored medley. Sprinkle some breadcrumbs, shallots, and Parmesan cheese on top of it all and you’ve got something special. If you browse through the recipe, you’ll find that each vegetable was altered in some way before being added to the casserole. The squash and tomatoes were dehydrated, the onions were caramelized, and the garlic, olive oil, and thyme were all marinated together to form a wonderful topping that’s drizzled over everything else. While this dish may appear complex, it’s actually fairly straightforward. It’s worth the effort involved. Click through to take a look. Continue reading…

Orzo salads are fun and easy to prepare and I make them all summer long. In our house, we add this type of salad to our regular nightly garden salad. We use the garden salad as a bedding for this much more substantial companion. As I share in this post, these types of salads are quite simple to put together and really take no time at all. Basically, you’ll need to cook the orzo, which is basically cooking pasta, prep the vegetables, and then make the vinaigrette. There’s nothing challenging in any of the steps and the ingredients are readily available in any food market. In the case of this salad, the recipe calls for orzo, olive oil, sun-dried tomatoes, Kalamata olives, red cabbage, Asiago cheese, pecans, and fresh basil. After reading that ingredient list, I’m sure you can imagine the flavors the ingredients create when combined. And that list didn’t even include the vinaigrette, which consists of balsamic vinegar, garlic, and extra-virgin olive oil. This is an incredible summer salad, so click through to take a look at some photos and to view the recipe. Continue reading…

Pan frying salmon can sometimes be a delicate procedure. You may need to do it a few times to get it right. In the beginning, most people overcook the fish and that makes it dry. If you allow the salmon to cook in a skillet for five minutes, skin side down, and then flip the fish to cook it skin side up for only a few minutes, that should be fine. Usually, 90% of the cooking is done with the skin side down. People get nervous about that. On to the recipe – this is a good one. It’s got tons of flavor and that flavor stems primarily from the tasty and somewhat unique vinaigrette. The vinaigrette consists of red wine, currants, Vidalia onion, vinegar, brown sugar, olive oil, and seasonings. After this combination cooks down in a saucepan, it’s unbelievable to taste. The red wine vinegar adds a kick and the brown sugar smooths it all out. What a medley. And once the vinaigrette is spooned over the cauliflower, mushrooms, and salmon, the dish is complete and, I must say, rather elegant. This is something you could present to someone on a special occasion or a holiday. If you’re interested in preparing a dish like this, click through for the recipe. Continue reading…

I’ve eaten a lot of ziti in my day and I can tell you that, while regular ziti and tomato sauce is good, baked ziti with vegetables and a cream sauce is better. Yes, the latter may seem less Italian and it probably is, but to me, it’s just a more comprehensive and satisfying dish. The ingredients for this recipe are baked in a cast iron skillet and include some good one you might recognize; leeks, garlic, thyme, cheddar cheese, ziti, nutmeg, and parsley. The cream sauce is prepared beforehand and consists of flour, milk, and cheese. After all the ingredients are prepped and added to the skillet, everything is covered with more cheese and then the entire ensemble is baked in the oven for a half hour. It’s not a terribly challenging dish to prepare, but it’s got a fair amount of depth and it’s sure to satisfy. I liked it a lot. There’s nothing like filling a bowl with something like it. Click through for the recipe and to take a look at some photos of the dish and its preparation. Continue reading…

I don’t know anyone who doesn’t enjoy a nice dessert. I remember going to Ruby Tuesday for dinner in the Danbury Fair Mall when I was a teenager. I’d also go to The Cheesecake Factory at Blue Back Square in West Hartford. Both of those restaurants were a lot of fun and they both offered exciting desserts. In Ruby’s, I used to order a huge strawberry and vanilla ice cream dessert and in The Cheesecake Factory, it was warm brownies and vanilla ice cream. I like big desserts, so it was with this in mind that I decided to prepare something as similar as I could find. As you’ll see after clicking through to this post, within a few short minutes, you too can easily prepare a cast iron skillet brownie with vanilla ice cream and chopped pecans as a topping. The brownie is simple to bake. Just mix up a few classic ingredients and the place the skillet in the oven for around 30 minutes. When it’s ready, you’ll have a restaurant quality dessert to add some ice cream and pecans to. Click through for the recipe. This one’s a good one. Continue reading…