Fideos, Not your average pasta dish

As a result of our puppy, I have had little time to cook, let alone post about what we have recently been cooking.  Plus, I am sorry to say a lot of what we have been eating has been the same old boring, easy to make staple-including, which I am not proud of, lots of [...]

Read Full Post »

Mojito Marinated Swordfish

Inspired by a recipe in Eating Well
I had come across this recipe awhile ago and have been wanting to try it. Since I just recently found a reliable fish market here, this was one of the first recipes that I tried. It came out quite good. You can really taste the mojito [...]

Read Full Post »

Caffe: The Basics

Coffee is a huge part of life in Italy. Cafe’s are on every street corner and everyone starts their day off at their preferred cafe. We quickly got into the routine of a morning caffe and an occasional pasta (pastry). The beauty of the caffe atmosphere is that it is quick and [...]

Read Full Post »

Pizza with Gorgonzola, Rocket, Ham, and Pear

My last creation for my wine get together (others were Clafouti and Artichoke and Feta Dip) was Pizza with Gorgonzola, Rocket (Arugula), Ham, and Pear.  I’ve seen lots of recipes for salads with gorgonzola and pears and thought that it would make a pretty tasty pizza.  The flavor combinations work really well:  the spicy rocket, [...]

Read Full Post »

Clafouti

I was having a few friends over on Saturday night for wine and appetizers and I was searching for a dessert that was easy to make, that was yummy, and that I had never made before. Since it is rather hot here now, I wanted something that also was not too heavy and used [...]

Read Full Post »

Artichoke and Feta Dip

Artichokes at the Ballaro Market in Palermo
For my wine and appetizer get-together I opted to make one of my all time favorite dips.  I’ve made this for a few years and it always comes out great!  It is easy, fast, and can be made ahead of time.  All the amounts are approximate and can be [...]

Read Full Post »

Pesto: A Yummy Pasta and a little Italian Grammar on the side

Our basil plants have been growing out of control lately and I thought what better way to utilize the basil than to make pesto. I definitely prefer homemade pesto to store bought pesto, mainly because the store brands always end up being too oily and I prefer a thicker creamier pesto. Pesto [...]

Read Full Post »

Fire Roasted Chicken Enchiladas

We were in the mood for Mexican, and after a long day at Del Mar Dog Beach, we were not in the mood for hours of cooking. This recipe came together quickly and was really good. The best part is that there were leftovers.
I decided that I wanted the filling to be more [...]

Read Full Post »

Pasta with Tomato Broth, Bacon, Peas and Goat Cheese

Adapted from a recipe found in the New York Times.
I really enjoyed this dish. The broth is thick enough that it serves as a sauce vs. a soup. Yet since the sauce is more of a “broth,” it is lighter than an average tomato sauce and perfect for the summer. The main [...]

Read Full Post »

A Twist on the Traditional: Hamburgers with Feta, Mint, and Pepperoncini

This recipe is adapted from a recipe in the 2006 Cooking Light Cookbook. It came out quite good! The original recipe called for using the feta to make a sauce instead of in the hamburger, which I did not make. While I like the feta in the hamburger itself, I think the [...]

Read Full Post »