Engaging stories of love, joy, comfort and friendship with proven scrumptious, healthy recipes, we celebrate LOVE as the secret ingredient for wonderful food!

Sicilian Orange Cake with Dark Chocolate Glaze

December 24, 2020 by Mary 4 Comments

I had a little trouble getting this cake out of the pan…

This Italian cake is not too sweet but super moist so you can make this a day ahead and eat it for several days without losing anything. Because of this, I thought this Sicilian Orange Cake with Dark Chocolate Glaze is a great cake to have around during the holidays. It is terrific for dessert as well as for breakfast with a cup a coffee. (a true Italian-style breakfast) You probably already have all the ingredients on hand so give this a go! Santa will most likely enjoy it too.

Always good to share…

I brought this cake to a dinner at my good friends’ Margaret and Wayne’s house last week. They are in my “pod” so all is good and safe. We each had two pieces that night and then I left them with a very large piece. Margaret texted me that she was having a 1″ piece every day. I think she’s had her last piece today and enjoyed it so much.

This cake recipe was originally in Food and Wine magazine, but of course I changed it and added the dark chocolate glaze. I LOVE orange and chocolate!

Make it with LOVE. And have a very Happy and Merry Christmas!

SICILIAN ORANGE CAKE with DARK CHOCOLATE GLAZE – serves 10

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
2 tablespoons grated orange zest
1 1/4 cups fresh orange juice (from 3 oranges)
1 1/2 Tbs. baking powder
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup Canola oil
3 large or 4 small eggs
Butter for greasing the pan
4 oz. 70% dark Ghirardelli Chocolate
½ tsp. unsalted butter
½ tsp. Canola oil

Preheat oven to 350°F. Stir together flour, orange zest, and baking powder in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Beat sugar, vegetable oil, and eggs with an electric mixer on high speed until almost white, about 1 minute and 30 seconds. Add orange juice; beat on low speed until combined, about 20 seconds. With the mixer running on low speed, gradually add flour mixture. Beat until just combined, about 1 minute (do not overmix).

Transfer batter to a greased (with butter or Crisco) and floured 9-inch tube or Bundt pan. Bake in a preheated oven until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool in pan 10 minutes. Invert cake onto a wire rack; let cool completely, about 1 hour.

Turn cake right side up on a plate. Melt the chocolate with the butter and oil in a microwave, 1 minute at a time on 50% power, stirring after each heating, to further melt the chocolate. This should take 2 – 3 minutes. Do not overheat as that will burn the chocolate.

Drizzle the glaze all over the top and let it drip down the sides. Enjoy!!

Pork Chops with Ginger Blackberry Sauce

December 16, 2020 by Mary 2 Comments

My lead construction guy told me, with a wry smile, that this would be my “last supper” in my kitchen. You see, I am completely renovating my kitchen in the city apartment and this recipe that I threw together of Pork Chops with Ginger Blackberry Sauce was scrumptious and special and my last meal from my old kitchen. It was fun to make up, with just the things I had around and so very delicious to boot! It comes together so quickly. I know you will love the sweet, savory, spicy and umami flavors all melded as one.

Quite frankly, I really hate cooking for one. I do not like being alone but what am I to do? I still love cooking and eating, and really, they become the highlights of my day, along with a little wine (maybe sometimes too much but who cares) and that is what I look forward to every day. Additionally, my late husband Steve, never really liked fruit with meat. And I have been on this sweet and savory combo kick, which I can now explore to my heart’s desire.

My mission is to combine new, unusual flavors. I’m tired of the typical mingling of ingredients. I want to break through and create something fresh and exciting! So I really had a go of it with this Pork Chops with Ginger Blackberry Sauce recipe. But you know what, I think Steve would have liked this too!

NOW THE BACKSTORY ON MY KITCHEN…

All of my appliances were breaking and my cabinets were builder’s grade (equals really shitty quality) from when we bought this condo 13 years ago and I just couldn’t bear putting new appliances in between chipped cabinets, so I decided on a complete renovation. I started musing with this idea in the summer of 2019, after happening upon a new Italian kitchen store in my neighborhood. I fell in love with these cabinets that looked like concrete and started working on the design, getting construction and appliance estimates and moving forward. I actually would have loved to do slick, shiny bright red cabinets but I knew that those really wouldn’t go with the rest of the apartment.

Because my kitchen is wide open to the dining room and the living room which are filled with an eclectic mix of French, English and American antiques along with some traditional and modern items, I needed to make the kitchen work with all of these, yet still do something smashing. Otherwise, why was I doing it, was my thinking.

Then I remembered, my very first designer/employee at my brand design agency many, many years ago was Jeanne, and she had left the communication design field to become a kitchen designer. I should contact her!

So I rang her up and she changed everything – all for the best! She gently guided me off of the concrete and into doing real wood – gorgeous walnut, flat modern panels with some beautiful Italian polished nickel handles and a concrete looking floor. We picked a stunning piece of granite for the counter with taupe, black and some beautiful blue in it. White quartz for the windowsill and some amazing appliances including my favorite – a slim wine refrigerator that is six inches wide and holds seven bottles!

SUPER MESSY IN AN APARTMENT

My renovation is in full swing now and my cabinets arrived yesterday along with Jeanne, to open and check some of them. The old kitchen is completely out and donated to Angie’s House on Long Island. They help medically frail children have the best quality of life possible. I was so happy to find them as I definitely did not want to contribute any more to landfills. It is very trying managing the space in an apartment during a complete redo – nothing like in a house.

So I cooked up a storm my last three days in my old kitchen and this recipe of Pork Chops with Ginger Blackberry Sauce was clearly my favorite. A “last supper” to remember.

I trust you will LOVE this as much as I did. This is a festive dish and easy to do during the busy holiday season. Be sure to make with LOVE. Here is the recipe:

Pork Chops with Ginger Blackberry Sauce – serves 2

2 pork chops
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 small red onion, quartered and sliced in ¼” slices
4 anchovies
5 chunks of Stem Ginger in syrup, chopped (comes in a small glass jar)
3 Tbs. syrup from the Stem Ginger
1 cup fresh blackberries
Fine Sea Salt
Fresh ground pepper
Chinese Five Spice
Fresh mint leaves for garnish (optional)

The process

Take the pork chops out of the fridge for 30 – 60 minutes before cooking. Pat dry and season each side with salt, pepper and a liberal amount of Chinese Five Spice.

Warm the olive oil over medium-low heat and add the onion and anchovies. Saute for 5 -7 stirring frequently.

Pork Chops With Ginger Blackberry Sauce, Seasoned and Cooking in a pan.

Push the onion mixture to the sides of the pan, raise the heat to medium, medium-high and add the chops in the center, making sure the meat is hitting the pan, not on top of the onions and add the blackberries, ginger and ginger syrup. Toss the onion/blackberry mixture on the sides while the chops are browning for 4 – 5 minutes.

Pork Chops With Ginger Blackberry Sauce, Cooking in a pan.

Turn the chops and saute for another 4 – 5 minutes, until the pork is done by pressing the meat with your thumb. It should feel sturdy but not super hard, or be at 140 degrees with an instant read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chop. The temperature will increase while the meat is resting.

Remove the chops to a warm platter or board. Continue cooking the blackberry sauce for 5 more minutes, stirring until the berries break down, getting juicy and add in the collected meat juices at the end.

Pour the sauce in a line down the middle of the chops and serve, garnished with mint leaves if desired.

Thanksgiving 2020

November 16, 2020 by Mary 4 Comments

Thanksgiving is around the corner and what are we to do with the pandemic and the growing rise of Coronavirus cases? We’re not supposed to get together with anyone outside of our “pod”. I get that. But. It. Is. So. Hard.

I really get it. As I have been alone for the majority of this time and missing my late husband Steve so very very much.

Perhaps your “pod” is larger than most, due to the sheer size of your family? I know that is true with my brother in St. Louis. He has seven children, all married and 15 grandchildren. They are all very careful. And they see each other now. They did not, back in March, April and May.

One of my other brothers, Steve, and his wife Trish, came to live with me for a couple of weeks. They had no place to go! And of course, I was delighted. They had sold one house and their new condo isn’t yet finished being built. They were living in their other house in Vermont but if they passed the 6 month mark there, they would have had to pay a full year of income taxes in Vermont and Connecticut! (Bet Trump never had to do that.)

So they came to me in upstate NY and honestly, we all had a blast. You see, we used to travel together a lot in our younger days, pre-children. And of course, I sort of grew up with him – we are 8 years apart and he is older – but we certainly grew up in the same household. So we do things the same way in terms of kitchen stuff and cleaning up. At one point, when I woke up in the morning, I honestly thought I was at my parent’s house and all was calm and stuff was happening as they had been up, comfortably getting their own breakfasts, the wafting smell of fresh delicious coffee was coming upstairs. I was all smiles. All good. In this household.

Two All-Clad pots in the sunlight. — Here are two of my gorgeous new pots!

So exciting to have new pots!

As a thank you and early birthday present, (my birthday is on Thanksgiving Day this year), my brother and sister-in-law sent me three All-Clad pots, all stainless steel, inside and out, almost too pretty to use. It’s so exciting to get new pots and these are gorgeous!!

Secrets for a Great Thanksgiving You Will LOVE cookbook. — My Thanksgiving Cookbook!

A cookbook with recipes and a process timeline!

Because it is Thanksgiving soon, I wanted to remind everyone about my handy cookbook of all of my big feast recipes along with a hassle-free planning schedule to get everything done with ease and put a magnificent meal on the table, stress free.

You can get it on Amazon here – and I am donating all of the proceeds of the sales to Meals on Wheels to feed the less fortunate.

So pick up a copy and enjoy. I have a whole slew of folks who make my stuffing recipe every year. Yes, it is that good.

Additionally, l know my Momofuku’s Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Fish Sauce Vinaigrette recipe in the cookbook menu is a little unique and not for the faint of heart, bursting with umami. This year I am switching up that side recipe to be Green Beans with a Warm Raisin Caper dressing. Still unique, but a little tamer.

It’s a Martha Stewart recipe and usually I am not a big fan of hers but this sounds good and I think, will be a nice contrast to the richness of the rest of the meal.

So pick up a book and give it a go. And please leave a review to help others find it easily.

And remember to make everything with LOVE. Enjoy!

Have the BEST Thanksgiving ever!! It is sure to be memorable in this climate.

Braised Short Ribs – savory and a little sweet!

November 6, 2020 by Mary 7 Comments

I love this time of year – the beautiful fall colors, the weather getting crisper and cooler, sweater-time, bundling up in front of a fire time. And with Braised Short Ribs simmering in the oven, there is no better time, right? Short Ribs have always been a favorite of mine but for my late husband Steve, not so much. He never liked the soft gristle that comes with them. Perhaps too jelly-like and sometimes a lot of work to separate them from the meat. So therefore, I didn’t make them often and never had a chance to perfect my recipe…

A wonderful time of the year…

But my oldest son and I love them! So last Saturday, on a beautiful, weather-perfect day, after apple picking with his wife and my grandson and six of their friends, full of hot apple cider, sugar doughnuts, streusel sticks and of course, apples, we came home and I whipped up this recipe, which I think is my damn near-perfect recipe of Braised Short Ribs – savory and a little sweet!

Because this week has been such a tortuous one with the election results still unresolved at this moment, I thought you all might enjoy and need a little comfort food. These Braised Short Ribs fit the bill exactly!

I do hope you’ll try this and let me know what you think.

Only the best ingredients

Braised Short Ribs ingredients on a wooden cutting board.

Remember, it is all about the ingredients and it is best to use local grass-fed beef and organic vegetables, along with a decent quality dry red wine. My brother, Steve, who is a sommelier and has a wine and food pairing blog you should visit, says to never cook with something that you wouldn’t drink. Remember that, as I have found it to be a great piece of advice. It also means you can drink a little good wine while you cook!

So in this recipe, I used a good quality Cabernet Sauvignon. The same theory goes for the broth or beef stock. Homemade is the best, then move on to store bought, only organic, with real ingredients.

Make ahead!

Ideally, make this the day before you want to serve it for two good reasons: one, it is so much easier to get rid of all the fat as it will collagulate on top and two, the flavors will intensify and develop into total indescribable yumminess.

Braised Short Ribs – serves 4 – 6

5 lbs. beef short ribs, bone on
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper (I like a coarse grind)
1 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 large onion chopped or 2 small
2 carrots, peeled or scrubbed and chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
4 large whole garlic cloves, lightly crushed
2 Tbs. light brown sugar
1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbs. Confit de Figues – a French fig jam usually served with cheeses
Juice from ½ lemon
2 fresh (or dried) bay leaves
3/4 cup Madeira
11/2 cup dry red wine
1 – 2 cups beef broth
Chopped parsley for garnish

Heat the oven to 250 degrees. Season the short ribs liberally with salt and pepper. Heat a large heavy Dutch oven over medium high heat with the oil. Add the short ribs (add them in batches, if necessary) and brown on all sides. Transfer the ribs to a plate as they finish browning. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat.

Add the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic to the pot, reduce the heat to medium, and cook until the vegetables are soft and all the browned bits in the base of the pot have been loosened. Put the short ribs (and any juices that have collected on the plate) back in the pot.

Braised Short Ribs, browned, in a Le Creuset pot.

Add the light brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, Confit de Figues, lemon juice and bay leaves. Pour in the Madeira and red wine. Add enough beef broth to just cover the ribs. Bring the liquid to a boil, then cover the pot and transfer to the oven.

Braise the short ribs until they are very tender when pierced with a fork, about 3 hours (longer if the short ribs are big). Using a slotted spoon, transfer the shortribs to a plate. Let the cooking liquid settle; spoon off as much fat as possible (ideally, you’d do this over the course of two days and would, at this point, put the liquid in the fridge overnight and peel off the layer of fat in the morning).

Set the pot on the stove over medium high heat. Bring the cooking liquid to a boil and reduce to a syrupy consistency.

Lay a short rib or two in each of 4 wide shallow bowls. Spoon over a little sauce and garnish with chopped fresh parsley. Serve with boiled potatoes dressed with parsley butter and LOVE.

ENJOY!!

Salmon Rice Bowl with Ginger-Lime Sauce

October 17, 2020 by Mary 5 Comments

I have been wanting to post this recipe for quite some time. Probably before I even had this blog – ha! Truly. I remember making this Salmon Rice Bowl with Ginger-Lime Sauce recipe the very first time while staying at the house of my piano teacher/surrogate mother – Harriet – in Dorset, Vermont. The dish is very easy to make, comes together quickly, is different and super delicious. Remembering eating it in her total beeswax candle-lit dining room, smelling so lovely, snuggled in after a full day of skiing at Bromley was pure bliss. The kids were young and fun and skiing is always a great family time.

Bromley or Stratton

Harriet’s house was pretty equidistant from Stratton (super yuppy) and Bromley (more low key). We preferred Bromley.

I remember Stratton having young parents allow their kids to lie flat out – angel style – on the ground in line to the main lift at the base of the mountain, and I guess they were thinking that that was cute.

How rude can one possibly get? I really wanted to kick these kids. Of course I didn’t but I’m sure I said some things. I mean, really??

Because of Covid-19 now, will we really ever be able to ski again? Skiing is an outdoor sport, but then you sit so close to one another on the lifts. And what about eating in the lodge? I will miss the chili with cheese, chopped onions and sour cream – the works! It is only during skiing that I never feel guilty about eating that chili.

It is a whole new world for us. I suppose we will find out soon.

Anyway, back to more pleasant things like food. Coming “home” to Harriet’s house that always smelled like beeswax with its beautiful dark shiny floors throughout, was a little bit of heaven. Having a fire in the fireplace, playing games in front and then serving up this dish in the candlelit dining room was delightful. A clean, healthy and different dish with the spark of ginger and soy – really yummy.

This Salmon Rice Bowl with Ginger-Lime Sauce dish is not really your typical winter dish. It is not heavy or stew-like at all but just super appealing. So try it soon, now in the fall and you will LOVE it. I guarantee!

Ingredients for Salmon Rice Bowl with Ginger-Lime Sauce. — Getting the ingredients ready.

The sauce for Salmon Rice Bowl with Ginger-Lime Sauce recipe. — Making the sauce.

Salmon cooking for Salmon Rice Bowl with Ginger-Lime Sauce recipe. — Cooking the salmon and garlic.

Cucumbers for Salmon Rice Bowl with Ginger-Lime Sauce. — The cucumbers!

SALMON RICE BOWL with GINGER-LIME SAUCE – serves 4

1 3/4 cups water, divided
1 1/4 cups long-grain rice, rinsed and drained twice
2 tablespoons minced, peeled fresh ginger
3 tablespoons sugar
1 Thai red chile, chopped
10 small garlic cloves, 2 chopped
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
2 kirby cucumbers (10 ounces), cut into thin strips
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Four 6-ounce salmon fillets
Salt and freshly ground pepper

In a medium saucepan, bring 1 1/2 cups of the water and the rice to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low and cook the rice for 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a mortar, pound the ginger with the sugar, chile and 2 cloves of the chopped garlic to a coarse paste. Transfer the paste to a bowl and stir in the remaining 1/4 cup of water, the lime juice and the fish sauce. Add the cucumbers.

Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet. Season the salmon with salt and pepper. Add the salmon to the skillet skin side down and cook over moderately high heat until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Add the whole garlic cloves. Turn the salmon and cook over moderate heat, about 3 – 4 minutes.

Mound the rice in bowls. Top with the salmon, garlic cloves and ginger-lime sauce with cucumber strips and your LOVE. Pass any extra sauce at the table.

Enjoy!!

Half-eaten Salmon Rice Bowl with Ginger-Lime Sauce with a side of broccoli. — Total DELISH!!

Grilled Flounder with Sweet Tomato and Chili Chutney, Rosemary and Sage

September 3, 2020 by Mary 8 Comments

How many of you adore eating fish but are longing for ways that are quick and easy and would love to add a new zing to just a regular old piece of grilled fish with EVOO, salt and pepper? And how many of you have a refrigerator full of various condiments that take up too much room? I know. So this simple recipe of Grilled Flounder with Sweet Tomato and Chili Chutney, Rosemary and Sage delivers on taste and ease all in one!

You don’t necessarily have to go out and buy The English Provender Co. Sweet Tomato and Chili Chutney. Although this is very tasty with a savory sweet hot vibe, I say you should try to use up something you already have that has the same vibe. Wouldn’t that be even better?

Of course you could also dress up a piece of fish with my versatile Green Sauce, but that takes more work than I was willing to do last night. ( I can be so lazy…)

Think of flavors you LOVE…

Since it is only me eating now, I am trying all kinds of flavor combinations and I have been fascinated by mixing up sweet summer fruits with meats and fish. I mean, why not? I want to eat something new, surprising and different. After all, being totally alone in this Covid time, cooking and eating (and drinking wine) are the highlights of my day, so I love experimenting.

And I have made a commitment to myself to clean out the fridge of all of these jars! You see, my kids stayed in my apartment in the city for nearly seven weeks and cleaned out that fridge of outdated things and used the others, so now I want to do that here, upstate.

I have tons of jam that I never use on toast. I want to attack those – maybe on grilled pork chops soon…

Get creative!

I hope this post will spur some creativity on your part. Go ahead and try an unusual combination. Have fun! Experiment and enjoy. But remember to always make it with LOVE.

GRILLED FLOUNDER WITH SWEET TOMATO AND CHILI CHUTNEY, ROSEMARY AND SAGE – serves 2

1 lb. fillet of flounder
Extra virgin olive oil
½ TBS. The English Provender Co. Sweet Tomato and Chili Chutney
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, chopped
1 sprig of fresh sage
Salt
Pepper

Preheat your grill or oven to 425 F degrees. Use a grilling vegetable pan for the grill.

Thoroughly wash and pat dry the fish. Coat both sides with a thin film of olive oil. Salt and pepper on one side only. Then spread on the Sweet Tomato and Chili Chutney. Top with chopped rosemary and lay the sage sprig on top.

Spray the grill pan with high heat grilling spray or if using the oven, line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Grill or roast for about 5 minutes.

Use 2 spatulas to remove the fish to a platter. Cut in half and serve.

Enjoy!

My dinner – with 1/2 sweet potato and fresh cut arugula and tomatoes from my garden!

Sunny Golds with Bacon Pasta Sauce

August 14, 2020 by Mary 5 Comments

It’s summertime and the living should be easy, right? Well in this Covid/ pandemic time, nothing seems easy. But I hope this super simple, really easy and wonderfully tasty Sunny Golds with Bacon Pasta Sauce Recipe will cheer you up.

Pasta in Italy

First of all, pasta is always a great comforting dish, which is sorely needed in these anxiety-ridden times. I remember my summer living in Italy and helping Bianca with her broken leg, making a pasta for dinner, and Bianca said she could eat the whole bowl of pasta and eat it every day!

However, in my experience with the Italians at home, I saw them carefully weighing their dried pasta before cooking, so as to not overeat as they love it so much. They are not fat.

Easy peasy.

This Sunny Golds with Bacon Pasta Sauce recipe couldn’t be easier as just a little bit of time is needed to cut the tomatoes. Literally, that is the most labor-intensive thing here.

And if you’re not a meat eater, just skip the bacon and use 2 tablespoons of olive oil instead. Although the bacon does add that wonderful smokey flavor and everything is always better with bacon, right, as long as you eat meat.

Sliced Sunny Gold tomatoes with minced garlic. — Minced garlic added to the sliced Sunny Golds.

Sliced Sunny Gold tomatoes and raw bacon ready to roast. — Sunny Golds and bacon ready to go into the oven.

Be sure to trim the bacon of any big fat chunks, as the fat will be left in your finished dish.

The Sunny Golds are so sweet and flavorful, you can do it either way, with or without the bacon. I did it both ways just this week. Because the high heat of the roasting brings out the flavor of the tomatoes even more, I know you will really enjoy this.

Here is the recipe – don’t forget to add LOVE while slicing those tomatoes!

SUNNY GOLDS WITH BACON PASTA SAUCE – serves 3 – 4

A little less than a quart of sunny gold tomatoes, washed and cut in half
3 slices of no nitrate, thick cut bacon, cut into 1/2 pieces. Remove large chunks of fat and discard.
OR use: 2 Tbs. olive oil
3 cloves of garlics, smashed or minced
1 tsp. crushed dried oregano
¾ of a pound of dried pasta
Grated Pecorino cheese
Fresh basil leaves for garnish

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

Toss the tomatoes with the bacon or olive oil (not both as the bacon will provide the fat as it cooks), garlic, dried oregano, salt and pepper in a 9” x 9” glass Pyrex baking dish and bake at 425 degrees for 15 – 20 minutes, until the bacon is cooked and the tomatoes have collapsed.

Meanwhile, boil your water for the pasta, salt liberally, preferably with coarse sea salt and cook your pasta according to the package directions, starting to check for doneness at 2 minutes less than the lesser time. You will not be cooking the pasta any more in this sauce so make sure it is done to your liking but still al dente. Drain the pasta in a colander.

Warm the bowls you will be serving the pasta in as well as the large bowl to combine it all.

When the sauce is done, remove it from the oven and toss it with the pasta in the separate warmed large bowl. Use tongs to combine. Scrape in all the juices too!

When it is thoroughly combined, serve in warmed individual bowls garnished with fresh basil and offer fresh grated pecorino and an extra pinch of LOVE.

Sunny Golds and bacon finished roasting and ready to toss with the cooked pasta.

A serving of Sunny Gold Tomatoes with Bacon Pasta Sauce on spaghetti in a white bowl. — Finished single serving!

Enjoy!!

Green sauce

July 30, 2020 by Mary 1 Comment

So, I had read this article/rough recipe about green sauces in Food and Wine magazine just a few days ago and I thought I would try this myself! I have so many greens and herbs in my garden, and I had just finished thinning out my mint growth that this was perfect timing AND I had never done it before. I mean I had made pesto ad infinitum, but not just a simple green sauce where you don’t have to be so careful and you can throw in some stems and you don’t have to grate cheese – no cheese needed. This is just a simple throw everything in the food processor and it’s divine!!

Because this green sauce is perfect on grilled fish, meats, (think chimichurri) vegetables, roasted potatoes, as a pasta sauce, as an addition to a sandwich – so versatile – you will love it!

And the best part is, that you don’t have to let those herbs and greens just wither and die – as they often do. You can use them to make this delectable, use-on-anything green sauce!

It’s brilliant!!

It’s a brilliant idea and a brilliantly colored green. So sprightly and springlike.

Green Sauce on grilled Grouper filet – amazing!!

I particularly love it on fish. Because you know, we all want to eat more fish but how do you easily liven up a piece of grilled fish without too much work? Well here is your answer.

Truth be told, I was not very particular in measuring, but I did take note of the number of stems cut from my garden.

Here is my recipe. Make with LOVE. Make often and enjoy.

GREEN SAUCE – makes approximately 1 cup

5 stems of oregano
6 stems of thyme
½ cup basil leaves
2 stems of rosemary
Numerous mint stems – use the leaves only, to fill up the food processor
½ of a small fresh red hot pepper, include the membrane and seeds if you like heat (I did)
1/2 shallot, roughly chopped
1/4 – 1/3 cup olive oil
11/2 Tbs. lemon juice, plus maybe more
Salt
Fresh ground pepper

Only throw in the very top, tender stems, otherwise you’ll have some “sticks’ in your sauce. (Like you can see I had.)

First, process the herbs, pepper and shallot with the lemon juice very well. Scrape the bowl down and then gradually add the olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Check your consistency and if necessary, add more lemon juice or oil or both. Be sure to add LOVE.

Use on anything and everything and enjoy!

Last night I served some pasta with the Garlic Scape Pesto sauce and we all put a dollop on top and mixed it in and it was DELISH!

Happy Birthday to my late brother Greg!! He was a sweetie and has been gone now for 20 years – unbelievable! His legacy lives on in his amazing children and now 4 grandchildren – 2 boys and 2 girls. I’m sure he’s as proud as can be, looking down on all of them now.

What We Should Be Eating & Making Now

July 15, 2020 by Mary 4 Comments

So, I have been trying out new recipes for you BUT, I haven’t found any that are great enough to share with you. They just aren’t and I’m sorry I haven’t had the time to fuss with them to make them better and therefore sharable! However, recently I came across this article that outlines the diets of the longest living, healthiest people on the earth, and there are six tenants for What We Should Be Eating & Making Now.

Here are the highlights from the article entitled The 6 Golden Rules of Eating for Longevity, According to the Longest-Living People on Earth by Allie Flinn from the blog Well+Good.

1.) Drink wine after 5 pm.

It’s 5 pm somewhere! Ideally with friends and a meal. I’m in!!

2.) Eat mostly plant-based foods.

Now I do eat meat, almost every day, but I have been trying to have more meatless days…

3.) Include plenty of carbs in your diet.

Surprising to me! They eat grains, greens, tubers, nuts, and beans. Beans seem to be most important, and I know when I am hangry (hungry and angry because of it), beans or lentils calm it the most.

4.) Enjoy meat only on occasion, and only 6 ounces at a time.

Your portion should be no bigger than a deck of cards – that is enough.

5.) Stick to black coffee, water and wine as your beverages.

In other words, pure stuff, no sugary nonsense.

6.) Practice modified forms of intermittent fasting.

I personally have been fasting 16 – 18 hours per day and I have lost weight and feel so much better. So, I may eat dinner at anytime between 6 pm and 8 pm and I will not eat anything the next day until 1 or 2 pm and that really works for me. At that time, I do have a really good meal, like a full dinner, with protein being eaten first. This is working for me in so many ways, I hope you try it for yourselves. And no, I do not miss breakfast first thing. You do not need it at our age.

I will also add to this list a few other things that I have been doing:

Practicing mindful eating.

Eating and chewing slowly, being conscious of what you are enjoying, is so important. This practice will result in eating less as it takes about 20 minutes for your brain to tell you that your stomach is full.

Intentional choices for your food.

I was having high blood pressure readings, most likely from the stress of trying to remake my life after the sudden passing of my husband, Steve, as well as lack of sleep from the stress, so my doctor immediately wanted to put me on blood pressure medicine, but I was not going to go in that direction. Instead I did some research and started eating a lot of broccoli – raw or barely roasted – sweet potatoes, flax seed crackers and taking the oil in supplement form, and eating 6 cashews a day as a preventative action for cancer. I am happy to say that my blood pressure is back to my usual good-to-low readings.

And then of course, are you drinking enough water

Years and years ago, I once had a doctor explain to me that your body needs plenty of fluids flowing always, to transport the white blood cells around to kill any infections that might be lurking. So drink up that filtered water!!

Food can have a profound impact on how people think and feel.

I would love to know the diets of the violent rioters. I wonder if they’re full of processed foods, high in saturated fats and simple carbs?

What do you think?

Since I don’t have any new recipes at this time that are good enough to share, here is a reprise of some of my summer favorites!

Feta radishes watercress and mint toasts platter. — **Feta, radishes, watercress and mint toasts**

Midwest potato salad in a white Le Crueset bowl garnished with parsley. — **Midwest potato salad at Tanglewood**

Best potato salad with fennel, Parmesan cheese, cipollini onions and picholine olives. — **Best Potato Salad** with fennel, Parmesan cheese, cipollini onions and picholine olives.

Sorrel pesto on a spoon. — **Sorrel Pesto**

Greek Roasted chicken, chicken with parsely garnish — **Santorini Grilled Chicken with a Lemon/Garlic Basting Sauce accompanied by a Greek Salad**

Greek Salad, salad with feta cheese tomatoes cucumbers greek — Tomato and cucumber Greek salad

Make and serve all with LOVE!

Garlic Scape Pesto

July 2, 2020 by Mary 6 Comments

Summertime means pesto time, right? Usually it is basil for me but my friend Lainne at Ethel and Tom’s farm stand in Red Hook told me that Kim, from Second Chance Farm was buying bunches and bunches of garlic scapes to make Garlic Scape Pesto, and I was intrigued.

I wondered if she sautéed the scapes first or just pureed them raw…

Great neighbors and friends

At any rate, I naturally bought several bunches and started to hunt down Kim’s number to text her. But then I saw her husband, Charlie, at the dump on Saturday and he had Kim call me! This is my wonderful small town that I live in, in upstate New York. Everybody knows each other or knows someone who knows that person. And everyone wants to be truly helpful and is so sharing. It is so nice!

So, Kim texted me a photo of her handwritten recipe for this Garlic Scape Pesto. I have made it twice already, shared with my kids, and gotten rave reviews – so thank you Kim!!

And no, Kim does not saute them first. The scapes go in raw, chopped in ¼” pieces so that makes this pesto super easy to make. Way easier than the basil variety! No washing of the leaves and letting them dry and no peeling and chopping the garlic.

Another tip I learned while living in Italy, is to buy Parmigiano Reggiano grated, if you’re going to be making a lot of pesto soon, as it makes it so much easier to be able to skip that hand grating step. Because I went grocery shopping often with my friend Cristina, she taught me this little trick, as I was surprised. She said, “Why spend the time? This is just as good!”

Process it well!

Be sure to add the oil streaming in the food processer while it is running to enable it to fully incorporate. Additionally, this will need a few extra minutes to process as you do want to make sure the raw scapes are very finely chopped.

Here you go with the recipe – super quick and easy. Make with LOVE.

GARLIC SCAPE PESTO – serves 4 – 6 on pasta

1 cup of chopped garlic scapes – use the green part only – up to the bulb but do not include the bulb, chopped into ¼” pieces
1/3 cup walnuts
¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ cup grated Parmagiano
Salt to taste
Fresh ground pepper to taste

In a food processor, chop the scapes and walnuts until fine. Slowly add in the EVOO to combine. Add the cheese, a large pinch of salt and 20 grinds of fresh black pepper. Process again until all combined and pureed.

To serve on pasta

Boil your pasta 2 minutes less than the lesser amount of time on your package in well salted boiling water. Before draining the pasta, save about ¾ of a cup of the pasta water.

Combine sauce and pasta with a few tablespoons of pasta water to help loosen the sauce, make it adhere to the pasta better and finish cooking the pasta over medium-low heat, stirring constantly.

When the pasta is al dente, serve immediately in warmed bowls. You may add more cheese but I don’t think it needs it. Some additional fresh ground black pepper is nice. A Spumante Brut pairs great!

And of course, you can always add more LOVE.