More is Better

We spent Christmas in Boston this year and while on Cape Cod my sister Linda had all of us to lunch -an intimate group of 18 -- she and her boyfriend Steve made 2 home made soups a great split pea and this fabulous Roasted Tomato Soup --garnished with heavy cream and fresh Basil --it was fabulous  and I can't wait to make it myself -- she served these delicious soup along with a make your own grilled cheese panini bar --fontina, gruyere, swiss, american -along with sliced tomato, avocado, arugula, basil and proscuitto-yummy! The recipe is from Tyler Florence of the Food Network 2 1/2 pounds fresh tomatoes (mix of fresh heirlooms, cherry, vine and plum tomatoes) 6 cloves garlic, peeled 2 small yellow onions, sliced Vine cherry tomatoes for garnish, optional 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 quart chicken stock 2 bay leaves 4 tablespoons butter 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves, optional 3/4 cup heavy cream, optional Dire...

Baked Shrimp Scampi from 2008, Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics, All Rights Reserved This fabulous recipe is easy to make and can be made ahead --great presentation. I made this for Christmas Eve dinner as part of our 'fishes dinner'. Realized I forgot to take pictures of ingreds and making process - but it really is easy to assemble and delicious! You can serve it with crusty bread or pasta or salad. 2 pounds (12 to 15 per pound) shrimp in the shell 3 tablespoons good olive oil 2 tablespoons dry white wine Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature 4 teaspoons minced garlic (4 cloves) 1/4 cup minced shallots 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary leaves 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice 1 extra-large egg yolk 2/3 cup panko (Japanese dried bread flakes) Lemon wedges, for serving P...

Herb Mustard Glaze for Rack of Lamb from Southern Living 1981 Annual Recipes Cookbook I initially had this served by my Mom back when they lived in Pittsburgh in the early 80's --it has been a family favorite and even though I have tried many other recipes  we always come back to this one--yummy!!      1/2  cup  prepared mustard (we always use Guldens for this)    2      tablespoons   soy sauce    1      clove garlic -- minced    1      teaspoon dried whole rosemary -- crushed (or I used 1 T fresh)      1/4  teaspoon  ground ginger    1  egg    2      tablespoons   olive oil    5      pounds        racks of lamb (2 or 3 - 2 1/2 pound racks) * used only 1 rack*  ...

This was another Rachael Ray recipe --it was really good --of course makes enough for 6-8 so we had it as leftovers as well. Too funny when reviewing the pictures for this recipe I realized that 5 of the shots are 'pouring shots' !!  Make sure you are totally ready to serve and that polenta liquids are hot so that polenta doesn't cool too quickly. Love the new herb grinder from Williams-Sonoma --goes into dishwasher which is great but be sure to keep instructions as the first few times reassembling can be challenging.... 3 slices whole wheat bread, crusts discarded, chopped 3 cups chicken broth 1-1/2 pounds ground lamb 1 egg, lightly beaten 2 large cloves garlic, grated Salt and pepper 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), plus more for brushing 1 red onion, finely chopped 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar One 28-ounce can crushed fire-roasted tomatoes...

  Cabbage soup has been listed as a comfort food on a cold winter's night as well as an age-old folk remedy for curing the common cold. It was kind of festive with the red and green colors and was pretty darn tasty! Seeing that we are generally party of two and this made enough for an army --so I froze some and Daniel was one of the recipients! 1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 onion, chopped 4 cloves garlic, chopped 16 cups water =used only 8 cups water as I used broth 2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons chicken bouillon =used 8 cups chicken broth 2 teaspoons salt, or to taste 1 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste 1 head cabbage, cored and coarsely chopped 2 (14.5 ounce) cans Italian-style stewed tomatoes, drained and diced = 28 oz chopped tomatoes In a large stockpot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Stir in onion and garlic; cook until onion is transparent, about 5 minutes. Stir in water, bouillon, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil   ...

Don't laugh but in my attempt to grow my own lettuce, tomatoes and herbs this past summer- I also planted 5 Brussels sprout plants --now they grew but the sprouts were looking pretty sad by the end of summer -- I quickly consulted with my good friend and co-worker Master Gardener Terry --she assured me not to worry they would continue to grow into the late fall and wait until frost to harvest that they thrived in the cooler nights..........well since we had flurries twice last week I decided it was time to harvest --so here is my bumper crop-- they grew to the size of very small marbles or very large peas!! Got about 4 cups worth of these MINI sprouts ! Steamed them and did a quick roast --quite tasty! What was a little ironic is I had been at Trader Joe's earlier in the day and saw those very pretty stalk of Brussels sprouts for less than $4 !! I am sure not as tasty as my home grown ones!

This is another makeup recipe which I use as a quick go to because I usually have all this stocked in my pantry and salmon defrost really quick or better yet you can just cut it up frozen and it cooks quickly in the sauce!! Ingredients: Couple of pieces of salmon --I frequently use the triangular end piece for this recipe 1 c onion chopped into larger pieces - probably about 2 onions--sometimes I use the red ones as well 1 c white wine 28 oz can of diced tomatoes 1/2 c + of sliced black or kalamata olives 2 T capers pasta to serve it over In large frying pan with EVOO over med heat -saute the onion and salmon until onions are tender about 5 min Add in your white wine--and no I don't measure --about 1 cup --let this simmer a minute or so to burn off the alcohol and allow flavors to meld Add in your capers and kalamata olives --saute for a minute or so Now add in your can of diced tomatoes and heat through a few minutes MMMM....looking good ... Serve over pasta a...

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup Recipe courtesy Michael Chiarello, 2007 but altered by me!! Sometimes my inspirations for a recipe come from many sources --this one was because we were leaving for Las Vegas for the week and I still had fresh vegetables in the fridge that would have spoiled and wouldn't freeze well --so I quickly searched for a recipe for the 2# package of cut up squash that I had bought earlier in the week at Costco --this recipe was easy and fabulous!! 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1/2 cup (1/4-inch) diced onion 1/4 cup (1/4-inch) diced celery 1/4 cup (1/4-inch) diced carrot 1 cinnamon stick Sea salt Freshly ground black pepper About 4 cups chicken broth (I used vegetable because that was all I had) 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander 1 1/2 cups Butternut Squash (about 2#) 1/2 cup half-and-half  FOR GARNISH 1/4 cup mascarpone cheese ( I used sour cream because that is what I had on hand) 2 tablespoons toasted pumpkin seed     Preheat...