St. Patrick’s Day is approaching so I started thinking about corned beef. The funny thing is, corned beef isn’t even a traditional Irish meal. According to some sources, it has become a traditional St. Patrick’s Day meal in America because of the influence of the Irish-American population and the Irish immigrants back in the 1800’s.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
These soft pretzels take me back to my college days and eating my way through Europe. I devoured a lot of bretzels in southern Germany and eastern France. Kids will love to help roll the dough into ropes and shape the pretzels! Make them savory with salt or sweet with cinnamon-sugar.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Herbes de Provence is a mixture of dried herbs from Provence, a region of southern France. It is often used when grilling fish and meats and makes a great combo with these pork chops. We like to serve the pork over a spinach salad or with garlic mashers and roasted veggies.
Friday, March 5, 2010
We made this comfort food lighter by using “half and half” instead of full cream and by eliminating most of the butter. It still has the rich flavors and creamy texture but we don’t feel so guilty after each bite!
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Cauliflower and cheese is the British take on the popular comfort food: macaroni and cheese. What a clever way to disguise cauliflower. We recently had some friends over for dinner and I made this dish…nobody missed the pasta! I can’t wait to try this with broccoli, carrots and other vegetables. What veggies wouldn’t be good with a cheesy Mornay sauce?!
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Your kids will be excited to find a treasure of cheese inside each meatball. Use different types of cheeses so that each meatball is a surprise.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
This colorful salad of tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil has become one of the iconic foods of Italian cuisine and is a staple in Italy and in Italian restaurants around the world. It is simple to make and the perfect light starter to many meals.
Friday, February 26, 2010
If you thought the Crôque-Monsieur was as deluxe as a grilled ham and cheese sandwich could get, think again! Put a fried egg on top and you have a Crôque-Madame.
Friday, February 26, 2010
The crôque-monsieur is symbolic of French fast food and is a deluxe grilled ham and cheese sandwich. “Crôquer” is French for “to crunch” and “Monsieur” is “Mister.” So literally translated it would be something like “Mister Crunchy.” Call it what you will, this grilled ham and cheese sandwich topped with a creamy white cheese sauce is rich and hearty and surprisingly easy to make.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Mornay sauce is essentially Béchamel sauce with cheese and some seasonings. French sauces have a mystique about them and trying to make them has always seemed like a daunting task to me. However, I have recently discovered that at least the roux, béchamel and mornay sauces are surprisingly simple to make.
Friday, March 12, 2010
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